Requires bills containing an unfunded mandate for a county or municipality to be referred to the state comptroller for opinion before being certified

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and 1 co-sponsor

Mandates wage parity for airline catering workers under Massport agreements at Logan Airport, paying the same hourly rate as other airport service staff, effective within 30 days.

REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Bill Summary — S.1309 (2025): "An Act allowing for airline catering to be considered covered employees"

Sponsor / Filing
- Presented by Senator Lydia Edwards (Third Suffolk). Filed Jan 17, 2025; bill docketed as Senate No. 1309.
- Note: some provided metadata (other sponsors, and an unrelated description about unfunded mandates) appears inconsistent with the bill text; this summary is based on the enacted bill language contained in the docket.

Purpose / Intent
- To immediately ensure employees of airline catering companies that operate under a commercial services agreement or lease with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) are paid the same hourly wage as other airport service workers at Logan Airport. The law is declared an emergency measure to take effect forthwith.

Key provisions

Coverage: Applies to employees of an “airline catering company” that holds a commercial services operating agreement or lease with Massport and who perform work related to that agreement or lease either on Logan Airport property or off‑site for delivery to Logan.

Definition: “Airline catering” includes preparation or assembly of food, beverages, provisions or related supplies for delivery, and the delivery of such items directly to aircraft at Logan or to a location on/near airport property for subsequent delivery to aircraft.

Wage parity: Those airline catering employees must be paid the same hourly wage as other identified airport service workers (explicit examples include wheelchair assistants, skycaps, ticket agents, janitorial staff, aircraft and cabin cleaning staff, and baggage handlers).

Effective timing: Any change in hourly wage required to comply with Section 1 must take effect within 30 days of the act’s effective date.

Emergency clause: The bill states deferred operation would defeat its purpose and declares the act an emergency law for immediate preservation of public convenience.

Who is affected

Directly: Employees of airline catering companies working for companies that hold Massport commercial service agreements/leases and who perform work for Logan Airport operations.

Indirectly: Airline catering firms, Massport contractors, airlines operating at Logan, and potentially airlines’ operating costs and contract terms with caterers.

Potential impacts and considerations

Immediate wage increases for covered catering employees may raise labor costs for catering contractors; those costs could be passed on to airlines or absorbed by contractors, affecting contract pricing and procurement.

The bill mandates parity but does not specify enforcement mechanisms, penalty provisions, or funding sources; implementation and compliance oversight details would likely require administrative or contractual follow‑up.

The 30‑day implementation requirement and emergency declaration create a short timeline for employers and Massport to adjust payroll and contracts.

Legislative status (from docket)

Filed Jan 17, 2025; read and referred to committee (various committee referrals and hearings are noted in the docket). Current referral status per provided metadata: Referred to Investigations and Government Operations. (See official legislative records for the latest procedural status and hearing schedule.)