JFK Security to Strike Over Shoddy Winter Coats

About 100 security guards at JFK Airport have voted to go on strike on Dec. 20, just as the holiday travel rush is surging, if demands for better training and equipment are not met, reports NBC News. Employees are calling for higher quality radios and winter coats, among other things. Air Serv Corp., the company that employs the security guards, says it was just notified about its employees' demands and is now reviewing the issues, saying, "We value employees' input on matters of concern to them."

Air Serv security guards are paid $8 an hour and do not get sick days, notes the Village Voice. Another group of guards at the airport is to vote on a similar measure today. But their employer, Global Elite, accuses the union helping the non-unionized workers (who keep tarmacs secure and make sure only those who go through security can access departure gates) of making "false statements and allegations." "For the company to deny the veracity of their workers' complaints just points to the lengths they would go to," says a union rep. (More JFK Airport stories.)