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From the Associated Press: CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport went on strike Monday during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to demand higher wages.
The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” Union spokesperson Shwetha Ganesh said in a statement Friday that the strike would last 24 hours. Representatives didn’t immediately answer questions Monday about whether the timeframe had changed.
Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the ninth busiest in the U.S. The two companies contract with American Airlines to provide services including cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs.
Workers say they previously complained that they can’t afford basic necessities, including food, housing or car repairs. They described living paycheck to paycheck while performing jobs that keep planes running on schedule. Most of them earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, union officials said.
One striking airport worker said, “We’re on strike today because this is our last resort. We can’t keep living like this.”
A estimated 1.02 million passengers are expected to depart the Charlotte airport over a 10-day period around the Thanksgiving holiday, making it potentially the busiest on record.
On strike ✈️ Workers at @CLTAirport voted to strike days before Thanksgiving over what they call “unfair labor practices and poverty wages.”
Full story: https://t.co/8Ioa38mMkz pic.twitter.com/ZjlVBXtq4a
— WBTV News (@WBTV_News) November 25, 2024
Charlotte airport workers are on “Strikesgiving” today for better pay and work conditions.
Charlotte Douglas International contractors went on 24-hour work stoppage at 5 a.m. to demand employers address what organizers describe as a “poverty wage crisis.”https://t.co/hByjHxqZPy pic.twitter.com/9kjQS6xeFz— The Charlotte Post (@thecharpost) November 25, 2024
BREAKING: Service workers at Charlotte airport in North Carolina go on strike during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to protest what they say are unlivable wages. https://t.co/b2JwdsKA0W
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 25, 2024
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