Overview
- Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order on Wednesday that immediately sets a $20 hourly minimum for contracted airport workers and schedules raises to $21 on Jan. 1, 2027, $22 in October 2027, and $23 in 2028.
- The order covers about 35,000 vendors and contractor employees who work in concessions, passenger service, cleaning and baggage roles and does not apply to airline-employed staff.
- Labor leaders framed the move as the result of years of organizing and bargaining by SEIU Texas and UNITE HERE, noting some unionized groups had already won similar raises earlier in 2026.
- Workers at the announcement shared personal hardship stories to illustrate the need for higher pay, including a tool room agent who lost her car the day before the announcement and received an on‑site donation offer from union leaders.
- City officials say the wage floor should reduce turnover, improve customer service and safety at Houston’s airports, and build on prior mayoral orders that raised contractor minimums from about $10.39 in 2019 to $15 in October 2023.