American Airlines-contracted workers with the Service Employees International Union are on strike demanding increased wages.
An American 737-800 aircraft in Charlotte (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Service workers at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport began a strike Monday morning demanding increased wages amid the busy holiday travel season.
According to an emailed news release from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the strike includes cabin cleaners, wheelchair agents, and trash truck drivers employed by American Airlines contractors ABM Industries and Prospect Airport Services.
The release stated that these workers are paid so little that they struggle to secure basic housing, with some going homeless, sleeping in their cars, or cramming their families into rented rooms.
“I love talking to the passengers I help get home for the holidays, but it’s hard when my only affordable option for a home is a storage unit,” said Timothy Lowe II, a Prospect wheelchair agent, in the release. “ I am one of the workers that is the heart and soul of travel by getting people who need wheelchair service to their destination, but I need to be paid enough to afford an apartment and not have to rely on tips from passengers with disabilities.”
The release stated that Prospect threatened to fire wheelchair agents if they went on strike. SEIU Workers walked off the job starting at 5 a.m. Monday joined by Workers United and the Union of Southern Service Workers.
Additionally, those participating in the strike hosted a “Strikesgiving” at 1 p.m. in place of a Thanksgiving meal that the release says many of the workers won’t be able to afford later this week. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is expecting a record-breaking one million passengers in the coming weeks and is American’s second-largest hub.
According to the release, most of these workers earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, while the living wage for a single person with no children in the Charlotte-Metro area is $23.26 an hour.
An American spokesperson told AirlineGeeks in an emailed statement that despite the strikes, both vendors were staffed to support its operation Monday morning. The carrier expected this to continue throughout the day.
“American is ready to take care of our customers this Thanksgiving holiday,” the spokesperson said. “There is no current impact to our customers or operation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) as a result of ABM or Prospect staffing, and we don’t expect any significant disruption this week. We remain in close coordination with ABM and Prospect as they proactively work to mitigate any potential impact.”
AirlineGeeks reached out to ABM and Prospect Airport Services for comment.
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