Laid Off LAX Food Workers Hold Protest Over Losing Healthcare
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Food service workers who have been laid off by a Los Angeles International Airport concessionaire held a protest Thursday morning outside the airport, claiming that the company has refused to provide them with extended healthcare benefits.
The protesters worked for Areas USA, an international food services corporation which employs about 700 workers at LAX alone.
The union which represents the workers alleges that other concessionaires at the airport have continued to pay their laid-off employees their health benefits for several months after they were laid off.
Like airports worldwide, LAX has seen a plunge in passenger traffic because of the coronavirus pandemic, which in turn has hurt shops and restaurants in the airport. According to its latest numbers, LAX saw a little over 1.52 million travelers in July, that's a full 82% drop from the same month last year.