Workers from Lauderdale/Hollywood International airport joined in a nationwide protest on Wednesday for better working conditions in the industry. Though the group copped a major win last month, after a county commission decision ruled to increase wages, the protest intended to highlight the unfair labor practices at other airports.
The workers joined more than 2,000 workers, including cleaners, wheelchair attendants, and baggage handlers that went on strike at airports in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Newark Liberty and New York’s Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
The walkout is part of a growing national campaign for a $15-an-hour minimum wage for the lowest-paid airport workers who keep terminals and plane cabins clean, move bags and transport people with disabilities. They work for contractors that serve all major airlines, and some of them are making hourly salaries as low as $6.75, union leaders say.
