Airport Workers Arrested During MLK Day Protest

Authorities arrested about a dozen airport workers on Monday during a labor action at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Monday’s action – conducted in syncopation with Martin Luther King Jr. Day – was one of several that took place at airports across the nation, including Chicago, Washington D.C. and Miami, according to NPR.org.

During the protest in Newark, about 200 workers gathered at Terminal B and marched to Terminal C, NJ.com reported.

When the protesters sat down in a circle on the elevated roadway of the departure level in a deliberate attempt to block traffic, Port Authority police moved in to arrest them, NJ.com stated.

The arrested protesters included Newark Deputy Mayor Rahaman Muhammad Brown and Working Families Executive Director Analilia Mejia, according to PolitickerNJ.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an advocate of civil rights and workers’ rights,” said Gertrudis Lopez, a cabin cleaner at Newark Liberty International Airport. “If Dr. King was alive today he would stand with airport workers like me who are fighting for dignity and a living wage so we can support our families.”

Monday’s action was organized by Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which also facilitated a similar protest at Newark Airport around Thanksgiving.

• See related article: Newark Airport Strike: Will It Affect Thanksgiving Travel?

According to a news release from Local 32BJ, the labor action was part of an overall goal to win a $15 an hour wage and increased union rights for airport workers across the nation.

“Workers are protesting the gross injustices and inequality that persist at airports across the country, and are calling for change in the hopeful and visionary spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” the release stated.