Airline Catering Workers to Participate in Civil Disobedience Arrest Action Outside new American Airlines Headquarters
Event will be preceded by rally and march and followed by three days of informational picketing at DFW Airport and public events around greater Dallas-Ft. Worth aimed at drawing widespread attention to catering workers’ campaign to end poverty wages, unaffordable health care in kitchens serving American
WHO:
Hundreds of UNITE HERE-represented airline catering workers and their allies from the Dallas area and around the U.S., including John Samuelsen, International President, Transport Workers Union of America (TWU); Lori Bassani, National President, Association of Professional Flight Attendants; Mark York, Principal Officer, Dallas AFL-CIO; Brian Golden, President, Tarrant County Central Labor Council
WHERE:
- Rally and March kickoff: Post Oak Village Park, 3830 Post Oak Blvd, Euless, TX
- Picket and Civil Disobedience Action: American Airlines *New* Corporate Headquarters: 13951 Trinity Blvd, Fort Worth, TX
- Informational Picketing: DFW Airport Terminal D
WHEN:
Rally and March at 8:00am; Civil Disobedience at approximately 9:15am;
Informational Picketing at DFW from 4:00-6:30pm
WHY:
Airline catering workers are calling on American Airlines to take action to put an end to poverty wages and unaffordable health care in the airline catering industry. One in four workers who provide food and drinks to American Airlines at its hubs and who work for subcontractors LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet earn less than $12 per hour, and on average earn less than employees for the same contractors serving airlines at Delta and United hubs. Meanwhile, American reported a 2018 annual profit of $1.9 billion, and is preparing to move into the gleaming new Ft. Worth headquarters later this month. At DFW, its hometown airport, which is one of the airline’s most profitable and busiest hubs, airline catering workers earn as little as $9.85 per hour.
Over the past two months, in votes held among 15,000 airline catering workers at 33 airports, workers voted overwhelmingly to strike when released by the National Mediation Board. UNITE HERE has requested to be released from mediation with American’s primary caterer, LSG Sky Chefs, noting that Sky Chefs may be unable to resolve the dispute without consent from American Airlines on the financial terms.