Strike Planned At Seven US Airports

November 18, 2015

Workers at seven of the busiest US airports plan to strike beginning Wednesday night over what they say are poor wages and threats against joining unions.

Some 2,000 aircraft cleaners, baggage handlers and other workers will strike at New York's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, as well as Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare, Boston, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said.

The walkout, which has yet to be announced publicly, comes just before air travel picks up for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was not immediately clear if the action would cause flight delays because airlines often have backup plans to avert disruptions.

The strikers work for service companies that US airlines contract for some airport operations. Pilots, flight attendants and in-house baggage handlers are not taking part in the action.

The SEIU declined to name their employers in advance of the strike so the companies could not prevent it or threaten retaliation.

"We don't receive enough money to pay the rent," said Damaso Mejia, a worker involved with the SEIU who cleans and checks plane interiors for suspicious objects at New York Kennedy airport for USD$10.10 an hour.

He said he will start a second job next month and will work 18-hour days to supplement his income.

The walkout has been in the works since the SEIU sponsored a convention in Washington a month ago for airport workers to discuss their concerns.

US Senator Chuck Schumer and several congressmen will attend a news conference in Washington on Thursday to garner support for USD$15 hourly wages, the union said. Rallies are to take place at other US airports.

On Tuesday the SEIU endorsed Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton for the November 2016 election. Clinton said last month in a letter to the SEIU that "airport jobs should be good jobs - and together, we can make sure they are."

Plans by some New York airport workers to strike in July, supported by the SEIU, were called off after a last-minute agreement with their employer Command Security.