Around 450 food and concession workers at Los Angeles International Airport walked off the job Tuesday as millions of Southern Californians head to the airport for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The cashiers, cooks, baristas, and bartenders represented by Unite Here Local 11 are pushing airport concessionaire Areas USA for better benefits and wage increases. The union’s agreement with Areas expired Nov. 19.
Concession workers say they struggle to afford a place to live near the airport because their wages are not keeping pace with soaring housing costs. They also say workers have been forced to manage heavier workloads after staffing levels depleted because of the pandemic.
Their demands echo those of thousands of other hotel and tourism workers that walked the picket lines in Southern California over the past summer.
More: Historic hotel worker strike brings thousands to the picket lines
Joshawa Nichols has worked as a fast food attendant at LAX for five years. He says they’re overworked and underpaid.
“With the amount of money that we make, we're not able to live comfortably,” Nichols says. “I'm constantly having to struggle between which bills to pay or which is more important. And honestly, I just feel like I shouldn't have to live that way.”
Nichols says the union chose to walk off the job at the start of what’s expected to be a record-breaking travel week around Thanksgiving. AAA estimates that around 2.5 million people are expected to fly through LAX over the next week, with a record 4.6 million Southern Californians expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday period this year, the third highest travel volume nationwide.
Dozens of restaurants are closed in the airport because of the strike, according to Nichols. The union is also handing out flyers and asking travelers to avoid crossing picket lines and not buy food or drinks from restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen and Dunkin’ Donuts, which are run by Areas USA. According to Local 11, many, but not all, of the Areas-run eateries and stalls at LAX are currently closed.
A traveler walks past an empty Dunkin’ Donuts Express stall at LAX’s Terminal 7 on Nov. 21, 2023. Photo by Eddie Sun/KCRW.
“I hate to have to put passengers through that,” Nichols says. “But if my company is not going to treat me right, then I don't feel I should have to work under those conditions.”
Local 11 claims Areas received millions of dollars in federal relief and cut labor costs during the pandemic. But staffing levels and wages have remained stagnant even as travel has rebounded.
“It is now clear, however, that union leaders are more interested in chasing headlines, disrupting airport operations and inconveniencing travelers during the busiest travel week of the year,” Duchesne said.
The union says they will stay off the job until they win the concessions they’re fighting for.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.