Charlotte airport workers strike for higher wages
The strike involving about 700 SEIU members began at 5 a.m. and includes various airport job roles
The following article appeared in the November 25, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Airport workers say they’re walking off the job today to protest working conditions and wages; American says it has no impact on operations
A union representing about 700 workers at Charlotte’s airport says it is going on strike today. The employees work for subcontractors of American Airlines. (Ledger file photo)
Workers at two American Airlines subcontractors who perform various airport jobs say they are walking off the job today to press for higher wages and better working conditions.
The workers, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), include cabin cleaners, wheelchair attendants, lavatory workers, trash truck drivers and ramp workers.
In a statement emailed to the media early Monday morning, representatives of employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services said they planned to hold “an unfair labor practice strike” beginning at 5 a.m. today. SEIU represents about 700 workers at CLT, a spokesman said Monday. The workers voted Friday to authorize a 24-hour strike during the holiday travel season. The spokesman did not say how many people voted.
It’s unclear how disruptive a one-day strike of cabin cleaners might be. One airport worker said last week: “If we stop working, the airport is going to stop. The planes can’t go.” An ABM representative told the Associated Press that the company was “taking steps to minimize any potential service disruption.”
‘No current impact’: An American Airlines spokeswoman said in a statement around 12 p.m. Monday that “there is no current impact to our customers or operation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport” and that “we don’t expect any significant disruption this week.”
As of 9 a.m., Charlotte’s airport was showing almost no delays or cancellations, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
The statement by the workers said most earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, which it called insufficient to pay for basic housing costs and utilities in the Charlotte area. —Tony Mecia and Ted Reed
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman