Local and State Officials Urge Airport Authority to Prioritize Public Health and Worker Safety
Resolutions Reinforce Public Opposition and Health Risks for Employees and Travelers
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Detroit, MI —The Wayne County Commission voted to formally oppose a proposed cigar lounge at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) this week, passing a resolution that reflects the concerns of workers, travelers, and public health advocates. The resolution came after the airport authority issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) and just before the public hearing held yesterday.
In addition, a resolution was recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives (House Resolution No. 200), urging the Wayne County Airport Authority to halt plans for a cigar bar at DTW. The resolution cites the dangers of secondhand smoke, the small number of cigar smokers, and widespread public opposition — 77% of Michigan voters oppose a cigar lounge at DTW. It also notes that allowing indoor smoking would roll back more than 15 years of smokefree protections and run counter to practices at nearly all other major U.S. airports.
“Wayne County Commissioners made it clear that public health and worker safety must come first, and we urge the Michigan House to signal their disapproval as well by passing its resolution,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR). “No community group, employee organization, or public health expert has asked for a cigar lounge. Airport employees should not have to choose between their health and their paycheck, and travelers should not be forced to walk past clouds of toxic smoke on their way to their gates. The Wayne County Airport Authority should align itself with public sentiment and public health guidelines and maintain a 100% smokefree DTW.”
Nearly 100 public comments have been submitted and dozens of people have testified urging the Wayne County Airport Authority to maintain a smokefree policy. Yesterday, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR), the Center for Black Health and Equity (CBHE), and the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council sent a letter to WCAA, outlining how, in allowing a cigar lounge to be built in DTW, the airport authority is giving the tobacco industry another opportunity to exploit the Black community and harm public health.
As airports nationwide have already moved away from smoking lounges, Detroit Metro Airport has the opportunity to follow suit. Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights calls on the Wayne County Airport Authority to rescind its RFP and uphold a 100% smokefree airport.
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Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) is a member-supported, non-profit advocacy group that has been working for nearly 50 years, since 1976, to protect everyone’s right to breathe nontoxic air in workplaces and public places, from offices and airplanes to restaurants, bars, and casinos. ANR has continuously shined a light on the tobacco industry’s interference with sound and life-saving public health measures and successfully protected 61% of the population with local or statewide smokefree workplace, restaurant, and bar laws. ANR aims to close gaps in smokefree protections for workers in all workplaces, including bars, music venues, casinos, and hotels. For more information, please visit https://nonsmokersrights.org and https://smokefreecasinos.org.
