From:            apala wa
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           [EXTERNAL] Airport Workers are Fighting for Health Care and Job Security. I support them, please support them
too.
Date:              Wednesday, April 1, 2020 1:15:20 PM
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To the Port Commissioners,
My name is Amy Leong. I am with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and
the daughter of a HMS Host worker. Behalf of APALA, we urge the port commissioners to
ensure any rent relief for national food service corporations like HMS Host and SSP America
goes along with support airport workers such as continuing their health insurance coverage.
The coronavirus is hitting hospitality workers hard. Countless workers at the airport have been
laid off or have lost hours because of decreased travel. While national food service
corporations will rebound, this could be a catastrophic event for many families losing their
livelihoods and their health insurance coverage. During this time of crisis, they need to know
that their healthcare will continue to be there for them if there is no work available. There are
many Asian Pacific Islander workers in the airport who need to have access to quality and
affordable health insurance as we face a health crisis. If people need health services, they
should be able to go without being afraid of the debt that come from seeking medical
attention. We must ensure the workers who have been laid off now continue to have a steady
access to their health insurance coverage.
My mother has been a HMS Host worker 29 years, going on 30 years in June. She has had
access to quality health insurance the entire time. She has gone through a few major health
situations but didn't have to end up in crippling debt. Over the last few years, she has gone
through surgery for broken bones, tumors and most recently battling and winning her fight
with breast cancer. By having quality health insurance, she was able to have preventative care
which allowed her to catch her breast cancer at an early and treatable stage. Then she was
able to have all the treatments from chemotherapy to radiation without having to think about
the burden of what will this cost. All these treatments without insurance would have made her
bankrupt and in debt for $100,000s of dollars. With insurance not only was she able to have
preventative care to discover early but also have the treatment to fight and win over cancer.
As we face this pandemic, she and like many other workers are part of the group with
compromised immune systems. This is the most critical time to ensure all the workers are
able to continue their health care coverage and be able to seek medical attention when needed.
As you are considering giving airport companies a rent reduction to help them during the
coronavirus outbreak, I urge you to make sure that any rent relief for national food service
corporations like HMS Host and SSP America also goes along with a "bailout" for airport
workers. Airport workers are the ones who continue to drive the increasing success of the
airport and we must ensure they are protected.

Sincerely,


Amy Leong
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA)