Breanne Eging checks on her flight to Greenville, South Carolina at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Friday, Sept. 26, 2014. All flights in and out of Chicago's two airports were halted Friday after a fire at a suburban air traffic control facility sent delays and cancellations rippling through the U.S. air travel network. Authorities said the blaze was intentionally set by a contract employee of the Federal Aviation Administration and had no ties to terrorism. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty) (The Associated Press)
CHICAGO – Hundreds of O'Hare International Airport workers have voted to go on strike ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Service Employees International Union Local 1 officials said Thursday that about 500 workers have committed to strike. Union spokeswoman Izabela Miltko-Ivkovich said the strike "will definitely take place in the coming days," though she didn't specify which day it will start.
The workers involved have been trying to organize with the union's help. They largely work for private contractors at the airport.
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"They don't expect to shut the airport down," SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's not what they're trying to do. Oh, there will be disruption."
Balanoff said a walk out could slow but not shut down airport operations. He said what workers are trying to do "is get the powers that be to hear their voice."
It wasn't immediately clear how such a strike would affect operations at O'Hare, which is one of the nation's busiest airports. Auto club AAA predicts it will be an especially busy Thanksgiving weekend of traveling.
The workers who plan to strike include baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, janitors and wheelchair attendants. They are seeking a $15 per hour wage.
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