Demonstration Mars JFK Opening

When the terminal brought in Restaurant Associates to run their food service operations, 100 workers from the old terminal applied for jobs. However, the new contractor hired only 38 union workers, leaving 67 on the unemployment line. "After all the years Ive given them, they think they can hang me out to dry," said Dennis Haggerty, a former bartender at Terminal 4. "But they cant. Weve worked at the airport for years and these are our jobs. Travelers are already fed up with the way theyre treated at airports, and I know they will support us when they hear about how weve been treated, too."
Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, president of the New York City Central Labor Council called for the Port Authority to stand behind the fired employees. "This hub of international travel should be serviced by workers who make a living wage and are supported by the protections of collective bargaining," said McLaughlin.
The new Terminal 4, a $103 billion project that encompasses 1.5 million square feet replaced the former International Arrival Building when it opened last week. Architecturally spacious, the Terminal is broken down in three levels. The top floor is utilized for departures, the middle for shopping and gate access, and the ground level for arrivals.
Over 35 U.S. and international airlines will utilize the terminal, developed as a partnership between the Port Authority and JFK International Air Terminal, including Schiphol USA, LCOR Inc. and Lehman Brothers Inc. Sitting on 165 acres of property, Terminal 4 is equipped to house 2,800 departing passengers per hour and 3,200 arriving passengers per hour.
"Terminal 4 sets a standard by which terminals will be measured at airports around the world," said Port Authority Chairman Lewis M. Eisenberg. "The design is exceptionally appealing and convenient, and JFK International Air Terminal LLC has brought in first-rate restaurants and shops. Perhaps most importantly, the terminal offers additional gates and a configuration of check-in positions, baggage carousels, and other facilities that can handle up to 3,200 arriving passengers per hour, compared with a previous design capacity of about 2,000."
Back inside, the ceremony culminated with the swearing in of 16 new, naturalized citizens. Sixty nine-year-old German immigrant Melida Erna Vollerthon tearfully accepted her certificate, pronouncing her an American citizen. "Ive been through so much, and shed a lot of tears," she said. "But I came here because I wanted to find a better lifeand I found it."