Early yesterday afternoon, members of SEIU Local 1877 who work at LAX in a variety of capacities in jobs as janitors, skycaps, and wheelchair attendants, went on strike. They have been seeking "higher wages and affordable health care," explaining that they wish to have more pay and security in order to ensure the quality of their lives and their work. The workers opted to strike only when talks between their union and the 9 contractors who broker their employment with LAX hit a stalemate. Although the walk-out was not expected to derail operations at the city's very busy airport, it did affect travel times for customers of United, Southwest, and American.

According to abc7.com, though, following the initiation of the strike, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa "brokered a deal whereby talks would resume. The deal includes a three-week cooling period between the union and airline contractors. Negotiations will resume next week."

Photo by Lisa Borodkin/LAist