Amidst the holiday bustle, hundreds of airline catering workers took to the streets to protest near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this Tuesday, citing unsafe working conditions and demanding better treatment. The demonstrators, consisting of workers from Flying Food Group, are represented by UNITE HERE Local 11, a union with over 32,000 members across Southern California and Arizona. As reported by NBC Los Angeles, the workers are seeking improvements in wages and health protections.
The protest escalated as protestors blocked the intersection of Century Boulevard and Aviation Street, causing a marked delay for airport-goers. As some travelers abandoned vehicles to continue on foot, the protest, particularly during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, heightened airport tensions. FOX 11 noted that Los Angeles police officers, arriving in riot gear, cleared the intersection after the demonstration, which lasted nearly two hours, had closed for almost an hour.
With chants and picket signs, the workers voiced their grievances, allegations of unsafe working conditions, such as locked doors creating fire hazards, broken equipment, and chemical burns. Notably, ABC 7 obtained a statement from Lilian Rosales, a flight coordinator, who has been with the company for 15 years, expressing her desire for "a workplace where I feel safe."
In light of the protest, travelers expressed a range of reactions, from frustration over potential missed flights to solidarity with the demonstrators' cause. Flying Food Group, amid the outcry, has been accused by the union of receiving citations or complaints from five different agencies over the past several years. The workers also filed complaints with Cal/OSHA detailing a slew of health and safety issues experienced within their workplace. Trying to draw attention to the inconspicuous labor powering their journeys, one motorist caught in the gridlock showed a shred of empathy, "Dude, if it’s a good protest, a good cause — go for it. I don’t care," as told to FOX 11.
As Thanksgiving neared, the airport anticipated some of its highest passenger volumes of the year. The timing of the action, disruptive yet emblematic of the urgency felt by the workers, is aimed to leverage visibility with the swell of holiday travelers. UNITE HERE Local 11 co-president Susan Minato expressed, in a statement obtained by ABC 7, "But that's also how you get some attention." As the protest ended and the throngs dispersed, the workers' parting words echoed a promise of continued action: "We'll be back."
