Charlotte Airport Workers Strike on Thanksgiving Week

Several hundred service staff at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) walked off their jobs early Monday morning, disrupting operations on one of the busiest travel days of the year to demand an end to “poverty waves” and “respect on the job.”

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) confirmed the 24-hour strike had begun at 5:00 AM after members were balloted on Friday over a walkout during the Thanksgiving travel period.

On Wednesday, November 27, airport workers concluded their 24-hour strike during the busy Thanksgiving travel week, but they stated that their demands for better pay remain unmet.

The Call for Change

SEIU represents around 700 CLT workers, including cabin cleaners, restroom workers, wheelchair attendants, truck drivers, and ramp workers.

The striking workers are employed by ABM and Prospect Airport Services, two companies contracted by American Airlines, which operates most of the airport’s flights.

These “airport service workers make holiday travel possible by keeping airports safe, clean, and running,” the SEIU said in a statement.

However, they’re not paid enough for this work, with most earning between $12.50 and $19 an hour. That’s “so little that they struggle to secure basic housing. Some have become homeless, sleep in their cars, or cram their families into rented rooms, while others face the looming threat of eviction,” the union said.

Company Response and Potential Consequences

From the picket line, ABM and Prospect workers described the impact of low wages and working conditions, which are so poor they often don’t have access to drinking water on the job.

Laura Kelly, a wheelchair agent, told USA Today that she’d received an eviction notice and was supposed to vacate her home by noon on Monday.

Photo: Courtesy of Charlotte Douglas International Airport

“I understand that passengers are worried that they may not be able to make it home for the holidays. But I have to worry that my family won’t even have a home this Thanksgiving,” she said.

Timothy Lowe, another wheelchair agent with Prospect, told the newspaper that he’d been living in a storage unit for months. Unable to afford an apartment, he had previously spent most of his paycheck on hotel rooms.

“I love talking to the passengers I help get home for the holidays, but I need to be paid enough to afford an apartment and not have to rely on tips,” he said on Monday.

Striking workers were joined in a rally by service workers from other unions, including Workers United and the Union of Southern Service Workers, along with elected officials. They held a “Strikesgiving” lunch “in place of the Thanksgiving meal that many of the workers won’t be able to afford later this week,” the union said.

Minimal Impact on Airport Operations

Prospect has threatened striking workers with disciplinary action, including termination. In a letter seen by USA Today, dated Sunday, the company stated: “It is Prospect’s position that a strike under these circumstances is illegal under what we believe to be the applicable federal law.

“We expect all employees to work their assigned shifts, and employees that engage in an illegal work stoppage will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.”

Charlotte Douglas, the country’s ninth-busiest airport, is expecting a record 1.02 million travelers between Monday and Thanksgiving Thursday. In total, more than 80 million Americans are expected to take to drive, fly, or board cruises throughout the week.

ABM said it is working to limit the strike’s impact on holiday travelers.

“We are aware of the planned demonstration over the busy holiday travel season and are taking steps to minimize any potential service disruption,” ABM said in a statement.

“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 added.