David Tucker speaks at a press conference celebrating passage of a living wage for contracted service workers at Dulles and National Airports. (Photo courtesy of 32BJ SEIU)

“I never thought I’d live to see the day,” said David Tucker, a porter who has worked at National Airport for more than 50 years, at a press conference this afternoon.

The day, specifically, would be the one when wheelchair agents, checkpoint agents, terminal cleaners, cabin cleaners, and baggage handlers saw their pay increase to what is considered a living wage. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors voted 15-1 today for just that, with wages set to rise to $11.55 on January 1, then jumping to $12.15 in 2019 and $12.75 in 2020.

Companies that have direct contracts with MWAA are required to pay $14.27 an hour, according to the Washington Post. But a small army of workers at National and Washington Dulles International are employed by companies that have contracts with airlines and other airport businesses, rather than the airport authority, and many of them are currently making the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Labor groups have been fighting to change that for two years, working to extend Fight For $15 wins to the airport services sector through protests and negotiations both at D.C.-area airports around the country. During the past holiday season, workers went on a large-scale strike for the first time, after a series of rallies, protests, and other actions.

It worked, if not quite as well as labor groups hoped (they were pushing for a higher minimum wage and benefits). Around 5,000 workers are slated to see a significant pay bump, according to organizers of the campaign.

“Just as low wages for some can affect the entire region, so can higher wages. When workers make a sustainable living, they are better able to support their families and they can better support our economies through local spending,” Mayor Muriel Bowser and Virginia Governor McAuliffe said in a joint statement. “MWAA will help reduce turnover rates and ensure that our airports are doing more to retain experienced employees who are familiar with critical airport safety procedures. Today’s vote will ensure that MWAA can fulfill its mission of operating safe, sustainable airports for the entire region.”