Airport workers strike at Charlotte Douglas International Monday morning

CHARLOTTE, NC – Workers who clean airplanes, remove trash and help with wheelchairs at Charlotte’s airport went on strike Monday during a busy week of Thanksgiving travel to demand higher wages.

The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, saying the workers would demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.” Union spokesperson Shwetha Ganesh said in a statement Friday that the strike would last 24 hours. Representatives didn’t immediately answer questions Monday about whether the timeframe had changed.

Employees of ABM and Prospect Airport Services cast ballots Friday to authorize the work stoppage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the ninth busiest in the U.S. The two companies contract with American Airlines to provide services including cleaning airplane interiors, removing trash and escorting passengers in wheelchairs.

Workers say they previously complained that they can’t afford basic necessities, including food, housing or car repairs. They described living paycheck to paycheck while performing jobs that keep planes running on schedule. Most of them earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, union officials said.

“We’re on strike today because this is our last resort. We can’t keep living like this,” ABM cabin cleaner Priscilla Hoyle said in a statement. “We’re taking action because our families can’t survive.”

Several hundred workers were participating in the work stoppage.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials have said this holiday travel season is expected to be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving.

In addition to walking off the job, striking workers plan to hold a late-morning rally and a “Strikesgiving” lunch “in place of the Thanksgiving meal that many of the workers won’t be able to afford later this week,” union officials said.

“Airport service workers make holiday travel possible by keeping airports safe, clean, and running,” the union said.

ABM said it would take steps to minimize disruptions from any demonstrations.

“At ABM, we appreciate the hard work our team members put in every day to support our clients and help keep spaces clean and people healthy,” the company said in a statement last week.

Prospect Airport Services said last week that the company recognizes the seriousness of the potential for a strike during the busy holiday travel season.