Logan airport workers see first pay bump in years

Some workers at Logan International Airport will start seeing a raise in their hourly wages Friday, marking their first pay increase in two-and-a-half years.

Driving the news: Massport voted last month to boost the minimum wage for certain airport service workers to $16 an hour starting today and $17 an hour starting next year.

• The quasi-public agency started making annual minimum wage increases in 2014, but froze them after the pandemic began.

Why it matters: The raise comes as labor shortages plague the air travel industry, contributing to major delays at Logan and other travel hubs.

• These are the wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners, gate security workers, drivers and more — the people who keep the airport running, as Amanda Torres-Price, spokesperson for the union 32BJ SEIU, explained to Axios.

Zoom in: "We need more money because Boston is very expensive," El Mustapha Lemghari, a wheelchair attendant represented by 32BJ SEIU, said in an interview with Axios.

• Lemghari said the lack of pay increases has made it hard for him to save up to visit family in his native Morocco.

What they're saying: "Every industry is looking to hire more staff, and it is essential businesses that serve our airlines retain and attract new employees," said Massport board member Sean O'Brien in a statement on the agency's website.