Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, USA launched a strike during the busy holiday travel week to protest what workers are calling “unlivable low wages”.
According to the Associated Press, employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services, responsible for providing airport services, voted on Friday to authorize the strike in North Carolina, with a spokesperson stating that the strike officially began on Monday (November 25). It is expected that hundreds of workers will join the strike.
ABM and Prospect Airport Services have contracts with American Airlines to provide services such as cleaning the interior of aircraft, waste removal, and escorting wheelchair passengers.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) made a statement on Monday morning announcing the upcoming strike, with workers demanding an end to “poverty wages and respect on the job” during the holiday travel peak season.
Union officials stated that the hourly wages for these workers mostly range from $12.50 to $19, well below the basic living wage for single individuals without children in the Charlotte area.
Officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport said they anticipate a record-breaking holiday travel season this year, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing from the airport from last Thursday through the Monday after Thanksgiving.