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O’Hare airport workers to announce strike date Monday

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FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, file photo, travelers line up at a security checkpoint area in Terminal 3 at O\'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Hundreds of O\'Hare International Airport workers that are trying to unionize have voted to go on strike ahead of the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday. Officials with the Service Employees International Union Local 1 said Thursday Nov. 17, 2016, that about 500 workers have committed to strike. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

CHICAGO – Thanksgiving holiday air travellers will soon learn when hundreds of workers plan to strike this week at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Service Employees International Union Local 1 officials say they will announce the date of their strike during a Monday news conference. About 500 workers committed to a strike after a vote last week. The workers are trying to organize with the union’s help. They work mainly for private contractors at the airport and include baggage handlers, cabin cleaners, janitors, and wheelchair attendants.

The workers are seeking union rights and a $15 per hour wage.

It wasn’t immediately clear how such a strike would affect operations at O’Hare, which is one of the nation’s busiest airports. The Chicago Department of Aviation has said it doesn’t anticipate any disruption in service.

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