Travelers scheduled to fly out of LAX should prepare for another brutal travel day, as traffic-disrupting airline worker protests continue on.
Hundreds of workers aligned with Unite Here Local 11, the politically influential hospitality union representing hotel, food-service and airport workers across Southern California, marched onto Century Boulevard and blocked traffic outside LAX’s pickup and drop-off zones on Tuesday evening.
The action, involving employees of Flying Food Group, lasted nearly two hours before Los Angeles police in riot gear cleared the intersection shortly after 6:15 p.m.
Organizers are planned to make their voices heard again, with a demonstration between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with workers gathering on the upper level of LAX on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the airport police told the New York Post that participation on Wednesday could range from 100 to 120.
Workers said they were demanding a new contract, alleging unsafe conditions, broken equipment, locked doors that create fire hazards and unfair wages during demonstrations Tuesday.
“Honestly, people don’t care about the people who make food and put it on their plates,” said Susan Minato, co-president of Unite Here Local 11. “We wanted to make a statement.”
The protest snarled traffic during one of the busiest weeks of the year. One frustrated passenger said that he would miss his flight to Europe. A few motorists expressed support from behind the wheel, saying the cause was worth the delay.
LAX airline catering workers say they wanted to make a statement by protesting outside the airport 2 days before Thanksgiving.
LAPD has since taken control and reopened the intersection. No arrests have been reported. pic.twitter.com/asUKY1hwqS
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) November 26, 2025
Union members defended the timing, saying concerns about locked doors, fire hazards and broken equipment have gone unaddressed. “It is a busy time of the year, no question,” Minato said. “But that’s also how you get some attention.”
Unite Here Local 11 has become known for high-visibility labor actions across Southern California, including hotel strikes and airport demonstrations aimed at raising wages and pressing employers over safety and staffing concerns.
The union, which represents tens of thousands of hospitality and tourism workers in Los Angeles, also played a central role in pushing the city’s new minimum-wage ordinance for hotel and airport employees, a measure the City Council approved earlier this year after a two-year campaign by labor organizers.
The law phases in yearly increases that will bring the hourly minimum wage for covered workers to $30 by 2028, just ahead of the Olympic Games.
A business-backed effort to overturn the ordinance failed in September when organizers fell roughly 9,000 signatures short of qualifying a repeal referendum, allowing the wage increases to move forward despite opposition from major hotel, airline and tourism interests.
The airport’s labor relations unit is in communication with protest organizers, and officials said no civil disobedience is planned. Airport police will monitor the event and serve as the primary responding agency, with LAPD’s Pacific Division available if additional resources are needed.
Wednesday’s action is not expected to disrupt vehicle access to LAX, but officers said they are prepared should conditions change during the peak holiday rush.
