Improving airport security starts with airport workers

Security scares at New York airports made headlines recently – a bomb threat at Newark Airport in June, a report of shots fired at JFK Airport two weeks ago, a “possible breach” at LaGuardia Airport and another scare at LAX Sunday night.

It’s bad enough that the TSA and Port Authority reportedly experienced communications breakdowns, but the real first responders – like airport security officers and wheelchair attendants – don’t even receive basic training for emergencies at our local airports.

These incidents raise serious concerns about how prepared we are to deal with a Brussels-like attack here at home. Without emergency training, we cannot expect airport security officers or wheelchair attendants to be able to effectively direct passengers to safety before TSA or Port Authority Police have time to deploy and arrive at an airport terminal.

And without jobs that pay enough for these workers to support their families, we will have high turnover rates that would not even allow for proper training. These issues point to systemic problems at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports that need to be treated holistically to ensure airport safety.

The 14,000 contracted airport workers in New York and New Jersey, security officers, wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers, terminal cleaners and others, are embedded in airport terminals, constantly interacting with passengers, and are most familiar with the facilities – and often are on the ground before first responders roll up.

In recent violent airport attacks in Los Angeles and Brussels, subcontracted airport workers heroically sprang into action, saving passengers’ lives. Yet they are the forgotten men and women in the security equation – workers who can make the biggest difference, despite earning minimum wage with no benefits or training.

In New York and New Jersey, the only training these airport workers report receiving are instructions to “run and find a safe place to hide” during an emergency.

Airport workers have long said that you can’t modernize an airport without modernizing the jobs inside of it. As billions of dollars are funneled into LaGuardia and Newark Airports, we must invest in the workforce the same way we are investing in these types of infrastructure projects.

Security officers and other staff in the city’s residential and commercial buildings are trained through programs offered by 32BJ SEIU to respond to emergencies while police, paramedics and other emergency responders are en route. The NYPD has even worked directly with the union, which represents security officers and many airport workers, to create training opportunities for security officers in New York.

Even the Port Authority invests in lifesaving training for the airport security officers it contracts, but allows the airline’s contracted security officers, who stand side by side with port security at the airport, to receive subpar training.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey needs to immediately prioritize a similar comprehensive emergency preparedness program to improve security training for ALL staff at the airports. When airport workers aren’t equipped to handle serious emergencies, it puts lives in danger. We must begin to pay attention before the next emergency.

Glenn Corbett is an associate professor in the Department of Security, Fire and Emergency Management at John Jay College. Gene O'Donnell is a professor in John Jay's Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration.