Working People at Nine International Airports to Join in National Civil Disobedience

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Baggage handlers, terminal cleaners and cabin cleaners at hubs in major cities will engage in large-scale direct action including civil disobedience Jan. 18. The workers are protesting the gross injustices and inequality that persist at airports across the country, and are calling for change in the hopeful and visionary spirit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Skycaps, wheelchair agents and customer service agents are demanding Congress take action to ensure taxpayer dollars do not continue to subsidize poverty jobs. Furthermore, they are calling on the federal government to take concrete measures to ensure investments in our airports are tied to responsible contracting policies.

Like the striking Memphis, Tenn., sanitation workers who took action nearly 50 years ago, and with whom King stood at the end of his life, terminal security officers and ramp workers face inhuman conditions at work and the daily humiliations of poverty.

In numerous lawsuits against airport contractors and related companies, workers report discrimination, harassment, and hostile work environment based on race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, and religion.  The allegations include exposure to degrading language, bullying, and wrongful termination.

Despite helping to generate $8 billion in profits for the aviation industry, contracted employees are still paid so little they can’t make ends meet; forcing many of them to rely on public assistance for their basic needs in spite of working full-time jobs.

Following the first-ever national strikes at seven of the country’s busiest hubs in November and a nationwide Thanksgiving fast, these brave men and women who keep our terminals safe and secure for the traveling public are celebrating King’s life by continuing his legacy of nonviolent civil disobedience in pursuit of justice and equality.

Contracted airport workers and their allies will be risking arrest as part of their commitment to do whatever it takes to win at least $15 an hour and union rights for every airport worker.