During the Thanksgiving travel rush, hundreds of workers from Unite Here Local 11 staged demonstrations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), blocking roads and forcing travelers to walk to the airport. The protesters, demanding better wages and working conditions from Flying Food Group, one of LAX’s largest airline catering contractors, created significant disruptions during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. According to reports, the demonstrations brought traffic outside the main airport building to a standstill, forcing people to abandon their cars and walk to the airport to catch their flights on time.
On Tuesday, the protesters marched onto Century Boulevard, blocking a major entrance to the airport and shutting down traffic around LAX’s main pickup and drop-off zones. Police in riot gear arrived and cleared the intersection shortly after 6:15 p.m., gradually allowing traffic to resume. Fox News reported another protest broke out in Terminal 7 Wednesday morning involving workers from USWW, the nation’s largest security officers union, highlighting ongoing tensions between labor unions and airline catering contractors.
At the center of the protest outside the airport is an escalating labor dispute with Flying Food Group, one of LAX’s largest airline catering contractors. Unite Here Local 11 and employees of Flying Food Group are demanding a new contract with higher wages while raising safety and labor concerns. Susan Minato, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, told FOX 11,