Hundreds of Airline Catering Workers Arrested for Protesting

Hundreds of airline catering workers protesting at airports across the country for better wages and benefits were arrested on Tuesday.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Unite Here union members who took part in the protests laid on the ground outside major travel hubs, including Philadelphia International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

The protests came during the Thanksgiving holiday period, which is known as one of the busiest times to travel each year. Airline employees took to the streets to demand better wages and health benefits, as 30 percent reported not being insured and 25 percent make less than $12 per hour.

San Francisco Police officer now telling #SFO catering workers protesting inside terminal 2 that if they do not disperse, they will be arrested. The airport said they’re violating a free speech permit that let them protest outside. pic.twitter.com/dvbjZypvHm

— Mallory Moench (@mallorymoench) November 27, 2019

“We’re out here protesting across the country because we’re sick and tired of being the lowest-paid and worst-treated workers in the airline industry,” Unite Here President D. Taylor said in a statement. “It’s long past time for American Airlines, along with the rest of the industry, to do better by the people who make sure their flights are ready for take-off.”

In total, around 60 union members were arrested in New York, 50 were arrested in San Francisco, 39 were arrested in Philadelphia and more than a dozen were arrested in Los Angeles.

American Airlines officials said they were confident a deal with Unite Here’s members could be reached soon.

“We understand that new labor contracts between Unite Here and LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet will result in increased costs for their many airline customers, including American,” a spokesperson for American said in a statement. “We are not in a position to control the outcome of their negotiations or dictate what wages or benefits are agreed upon between the catering companies and their employees.”