A plan to raise airport wages to at least $10 an hour won preliminary approval Monday from the Metropolitan Airports Commission, but not before drawing fire from all quarters.

Labor activists scorned the increase — which commissioners approved after three hours of debate — as too little, too late.

The labor activists want a $15-an-hour minimum wage for workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, not $1 above the state’s soon-to-be-$9-an-hour minimum wage.

Labor activist Kip Hedges termed the increase “a slap in the face of everyone who is here and every low-wage worker at the airport.” Other speakers derided $10 an hour as a “poverty wage.”

Business interests weren’t much happier, telling the airports commission that singling out one industry for a higher wage was a terrible policy. They’ve hinted they’ll sue if it takes effect.

“We strongly believe that the (wage) debate needs to continue on a statewide basis and not a regional or local basis,” said Ben Gerber with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Before an overflow crowd of sign-carrying workers chanting “Fifteen, fifteen,” even some members of the airports commission were cool to the proposal.

But in the end, the majority supported $10 an hour for now, after being assured that they can still discuss a higher level later on. The commission will examine a higher “quality service wage” at its meeting in June, and then expects to hold a final vote on the wage level.

“If you’re not keeping the conversation about quality wage and quality employment, we’re not doing our jobs,” said Pat Harris, a MAC representative from St. Paul.

The idea of establishing an airport minimum wage at $10 an hour has been championed by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.

But many commissioners, all appointed by Democrats, have been looking to go further to deal with the lowest-paid workers at MSP.

Some 2,700 workers at MSP would be affected by the proposal, including aircraft cleaners, wheelchair pushers and cart drivers. Many are immigrant workers, with an especially large concentration from East Africa.

Dan Boivin, MAC chairman, noted the number of low-paid jobs at MSP is a bigger issue than it used to be. Back when major airlines were losing money, they outsourced those low-wage jobs to subcontractors, who then cut workers’ wages.

“Now that they’re having record profits, now that they’re having record executive pay, it’s time to think of other workers related to them,” Boivin said.

But Boivin said he wouldn’t support the $15-an-hour level, warning it would mean “hell to pay at the Legislature.”

The Republican-led Minnesota House has already warned local units of government, including the airports commission, against establishing a higher wage level than the state minimum wage.

At a dozen airports around the country, labor activists have fought for higher minimum wages for airport workers, an issue that’s been controversial virtually everywhere. The airline industry’s trade group has filed lawsuits in some places, blocking the increases.

Tom Webb can be reached at 651-228-5428. Follow him at twitter.com/TomWebbMN.