A threat to strike from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Food Service workers is looming ahead of a holiday travel rush.
Workers at over a dozen restaurants and convenience stores at the airport say they will strike starting Thanksgiving Day if they don't receive an offer for higher wages from travel dining company HSM Host, which staffs those locations.
Unite Here Local 17 members say this follows nearly a year of prolonged contract negotiations.
One MSP worker, Victor, says he has to work two jobs to supplement his income.
"Both jobs combined, they're not enough to meet the bills and everything," he says.
If workers walk off the job, it could severely impact the travel experience at the major travel hub, which has been ranked as the nation's best airport two years in a row.
The workers' contract expired in December, 2024, and organizers say this is the first time ever that food workers have threatened to strike at MSP.
"Local 17 has been in negotiations with HMS host at the airport for 11 months," explains Secretary-Treasurer of Unite Here Local 17, Sheigh Freeberg. "We have more work to do on key items such as wages, paid time off for tipped workers, tipping, and healthcare for our members and their families."
Meanwhile flying in and out of the airport is getting better, with the Federal Aviation Administration lifting that order to reduce flights during the government shutdown.
WCCO-TV spoke to a man who is glad to see it is pretty much back to business as usual for airlines.
"It was challenging because the number of cancellations and the number of seats available changed from hour to hour really," he explained. "And then the resources not available for regular flyers. So it's a bit tough."