Airport workers strike in Charlotte

Employees at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport have gone on strike over wages during what’s expected to be the busiest travel week of the year with the Thanksgiving holiday.

ABM and Prospect Airport Services employees voted Friday to authorize their strike, which a spokesperson said started Monday morning, The Associated Press reported.

ABM and Prospect Airport contract with American Airlines to provide various services at airports like escorting passengers and wheelchairs and cleaning the inside of planes, the news service noted.

The Service Employees International Union announced the strike in a statement early Monday, noting airport employees demand “an end to poverty wages and respect on the job during the holiday travel season.”

Employees say the strike is their last resort and have raised concern before about the cost of living and their wages being too low they can barely afford necessities.

Officials said many employees earn between $12.50 and $19 an hour, which is far below the average living wage for a single person without children in the area.

The strike comes as airports and employees across the country brace for what’s expected to be one of the busiest travel weeks ever.

According to an estimate from AAA, 79.5 million people will be traveling more than 50 miles this Thanksgiving, 1.7 million more than in 2023. About 5.84 million people are expected to fly domestically this week.

ABM said it would take steps to minimize disruptions from the strike and Prospect Airport Services said it recognizes the seriousness the strike poses on the holiday travel season.

The Associated Press contributed.