About 100 non-union baggage handlers and airplane cleaners are on strike today at Logan Airport.
Roxana Rivera is with SEIU Local 32 B J. Workers for two airline contractors at Logan have been trying to join the union, but Rivera says the companies have been resistant and says “…We’re talking about workers that do cabin cleaning, that actually do passenger services such as wheelchair assistance, baggage handlers.”
The workers say they can’t live on the 10 dollars an hour they make, and they’re looking for benefits like health care coverage. Kheila Cox works as a baggage handler for United Airlines through G2 and says she just wants to be able to have a living wage. “But not so much about the money aspect, it’s about the respect. It’s about having protection. I don’t have any protection right now with my job.”
The two contractor companies, Ready Jet and G2, have not commented on the strike. MassPort issued a statement this morning saying they take labor allegations seriously and will continue efforts to resolve workforce issues. A MassPort spokesman says no airlines have reported problems today as a result of the strike.
