May Affect United, American, And Southwest Over Holiday
Weekend
If you want to make a point about labor... what better time to
get your message heard than just before Labor Day? Airline service
workers representing the 2,500 employees who provide services from
'curb to cabin' at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) walked
off the job at 1:30 pm Thursday, in response to what they term
contractors' civil rights abuses and failure to bargain in good
faith.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1877
tells ANN that contractors who provide cleaning, security,
wheelchair assistance, and baggage handling services for airlines
at LAX have refused to provide quality jobs with access to
affordable health care needed to ensure the highest quality
services and security for airline passengers.
According to the union, LAX airport service workers are paid an
average of $10.50/hour or $19,000 per year -- far short of the
$54,000 per year the Economic Policy Institute reports it would
take to support a family of four in California.
A bargaining session Thursday near LAX apparently went nowhere.
Union officials say the companies -- G2 Secure Staff, Air Serv,
Aviation Safeguards, and Aero Port Services -- refused to make a
proposal to the workers about improvements in training or wage and
benefit increases, despite months of negotiations and the presence
of a federal mediator at this week's talks.
The
union also claims that in the past several weeks, workers also have
begun reporting incidents of threats and harassment by their
supervisors on the job over their support for the union.
"No one wants to have to strike, but they have given us no other
choice," says Jose Hernandez, a wheelchair assistance worker with
Aero Port Services and member of the airport workers' bargaining
committee. "We're proud to take care of the passengers who need it
most-but we also need to be able to take care of our families. Good
jobs and good service for passengers go hand in hand."
Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic
Development Corp, told the Torrance Daily Breeze travelers should
prepare for delays and other hassles as a result of the strike,
noting that's exactly what union workers are hoping for.
"It's going to cause some chaos and confusion and it's
definitely going to be disruptive," Kyser said. "This is the kind
of strike that's meant to be a nuisance and exert maximum
disruption to everyone involved, but it's difficult to say what the
overall economic impact will be. It just depends on how long they
strike."