On Dec. 31, 2020, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi’s bill S6266D into law. The bill will allow thousands of essential airport workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia International Airport access to a supplemental wage benefit to acquire healthcare.

 

The senator who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester, issued a statement following the signing of the bill.

 

“This is a victory for all New Yorkers as we take an integral step to protect some of our most vulnerable workers in the wake of the global pandemic. Long before COVID, mostly Black, brown, and immigrant airport workers have served this State on the frontlines without access to the healthcare they need to keep themselves and their families safe. With the signing of my bill to enact the Healthy Terminals Act, these essential workers will finally have access to affordable healthcare coverage.”

Biaggi said the win would not have been possible without the dedicated advocacy of airport workers, working families, 32BJ SEIU, and Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman.

 

“It is also a somber occasion as we remember the lives of airport workers already lost to COVID-19,” said Biaggi. “This law is dedicated to the memory of Leland Jordan, a baggage handler at John F. Kennedy Airport, who was one of the first airport workers serving New Yorkers to die from COVID-19. We will never be able to erase the pain of losing Leland and other beloved New Yorkers, but in their memory, I am proud to say that we are building a better future for their colleagues with this bill finally written into law.”

 

As of Dec. 31, 2020, 30,040 people had been recorded as having died of COVID-19 in New York State. Meanwhile, in New York City, to date, a total of 25,144 deaths have been reported as of Dec. 31, 2020.