Fuelers at Sea-Tac vote to strike, airport could shut down without deal

Aircraft fuelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have authorized a strike that could shut down the airport if a contract agreement is not met soon.

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The workers, who fuel 95 percent of all aircraft leaving Sea-Tac, voted on Saturday to strike if their employer, Swissport, doesn’t quickly negotiate.

Union spokesperson Jamie Fleming says the majority of the employees are vastly underpaid relative to the work they do.

“A majority are immigrants, and the majority actually make minimum wage — it’s dangerous, it’s difficult, and they’re getting paid $15 an hour,” Fleming told KIRO Radio.

Aircraft fuelers have been trying to get a first-time contract since they voted to join Teamsters Local 174 in March.

“A strike authorization vote can be daunting for a newly-organized group, but these workers rose to the challenge and spoke clearly with one voice: they will not tolerate Swissport’s intimidation,” said Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer and Joint Council 28 President Rick Hicks in a news release.

It’s unclear how long Swissport has to hammer out a contract before nearly 150 aircraft fuelers walk off the job — according to Fleming, the near-unanimous vote to strike allows them to leave at any moment.

Should a contract not be agreed upon in time, though, Seattle-Tacoma Airport could potentially grind to a halt. Fleming did intimate that any strike likely wouldn’t occur over Thanksgiving weekend, due to bargaining sessions scheduled for December.

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