CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Millions of people are expected to start hitting the roads and the skies ahead of Memorial Day weekend, kicking off what could be a record summer travel season for Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Workers at the airport, though, said they've already had enough.
Some airport workers started a 24-hour strike Thursday morning, in efforts "to demand an end to poverty wages and respect on the job."
A news release from the Service Employees International Union attributed staffing shortages to employee pay and benefits, saying many airport service workers rely on multiple sources of income.
“Planes can’t take off without us, but I have to work three jobs so I can support my family,” Lisoley Gutierrez, a cabin cleaner who services planes for American Airlines, said in a news release. “I leave early in the morning and don't come back until after my kids are asleep. I've missed out on birthdays and family celebrations because I'm always working. We contribute to the huge profits of the airline industry; we should be paid fairly for our hard work.”
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