WASHINGTON — Some warehouse workers at Dulles Airport are striking to bring attention to what they are calling unfair labor practices.
Friday at 6 a.m., Swissport Cargo Warehouse workers and office agents at the Dulles Washington International Airport went on strike. Airport workers are protesting alleged unfair labor practices and intimidation by their employer.
The strikers claim that after filing a request to receive a copy of their workplace’s OSHA 300 log of work-related illness and injury in March, their employer refused to fulfill the request, and conducted coercive interrogations instead. The workers are on strike to demand respect and improved working conditions.
Swissport put out a statement denying the workers' claims.
“The health and safety of all our employees is the highest priority for Swissport. Contrary to these claims, Swissport fully complies with all applicable labor regulations, and provides competitive wages and benefits. In all the cities in which we operate in the United States, Swissport fully complies with operating permit requirements,” Swissport said.
The Swissport strike is only one of many airport strikes across the country. Swissport USA workers performed a walk-out at LaGuardia airport on Thursday. Across the nation, workers at multiple large airports are demanding more respect, protections and higher pay.
"Workers like me keep cargo moving across the country, and we deserve to feel safe and respected on the job,” said Carlos Hernandez, a Washington Dulles airport worker. “We show up every day so that the cargo we load on aircrafts as Swissport Cargo can safely get to its next location, but it’s getting harder and harder to do our jobs well when we’re working in unsafe environments and facing retaliation when we speak up about our conditions at work. That’s why we’re on strike today – to protest Swissport Cargo’s unfair retaliation.”
The Swissport Cargo Warehouse strikers are joined by Loudoun County Supervisor Sylvia Glass, Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik, Fairfax County Board Member James Walkinshaw, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Unite Here and SEIU Virginia 512 members.
Other airport service workers are calling on Congress to take federal action to increase wages, protections, and benefits for airport workers by adding the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act through the FAA Budget Reauthorization Act.