Union members and labor leaders held an “informational picket” at Philadelphia International Airport on March 31, demanding proper pay for airport security workers and the removal of immigration officers.
Footage from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) shows the demonstration in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The union said it was “demanding” that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “leave airports nationwide” and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers “get the pay they deserve.”
“TSA agents have been working for over a month without pay. And while the recent executive order pays them for two missed appointments, it doesn’t make them whole,” said Philadelphia AFL-CIO President Danny Bauder. “Not only that, but it doesn’t provide any pay for them from Monday to whenever this ends. So these workers, who are very much essential, keep showing up for work despite the fact that they’re not being paid.”
Bauder continued, “Billionaires … are trying to replace those hardworking people with ICE and we don’t want ICE in our community. We don’t want ICE in our airport. We want the TSA members to be paid as they’re told and ICE to get the hell out of Philadelphia.”
Philadelphia Airport’s Terminal C reopened on April 1 after staffing shortages had forced its closure since March 18. Credit: @phillyaflcio via Storyful