Airport workers ask council for a hearing on wages and safety; council discusses committee review

Multiple airport employees and union representatives addressed the Charlotte City Council in the public forum, urging the council to examine workplace safety, staffing, and wages at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The comments came from on-the-ground workers and union leaders who described low pay, understaffing and passenger safety challenges. Dominique Chambers, who identified herself as a wheelchair agent at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, said she helps passengers with mobility needs and described “low wages, minimal benefits, and poor working conditions” as daily realities for her colleagues. Chambers said turnover is high and staff are sometimes forced to push two passengers at a time, a practice she called “stressful, dangerous, and unfair.”

Danielle Prophet, president of CWA Local 3645 representing hundreds of airport workers employed by Piedmont Airlines (an American Airlines subsidiary), asked the council to open a committee meeting so union representatives could present drafted ordinance language that would set workplace standards for safety and livable wages. Prophet said unions are prepared to mobilize electorally if councilmembers do not act.

Other speakers — union flight attendants and labor council leaders — supported the request and urged the council to hold a committee hearing so legal and practical questions could be resolved.

Council response and next steps

Councilmembers acknowledged the concerns and asked the city attorney’s office to research options. Interim city attorney Anthony Fox and staff reiterated that federal and state wage and labor law limit the city’s authority on setting wages for airport tenant employees; the Wage and Hour Act and other legal constraints shape what the city can require. Councilmembers discussed the use of procurement and lease tools — for example, incorporating recruitment and retention metrics into city procurement where legally permissible — and suggested referring a narrower review to the Budget and Intergovernmental Relations committee.

Councilmember Victoria Watlington asked the city attorney for a timeframe; the attorney said initial research on packaging a bifurcated meeting notice (separating closed session notice from open meeting materials) and related legal questions would be provided soon. Several council members asked staff to gather the union-submitted ordinance language and to provide the council with options for committee review.

Why this matters: Charlotte Douglas is a major regional economic engine. Workers said low wages and short staffing reduce safety and service quality for travelers and make workers vulnerable to housing and personal instability. Council members said they want to explore legal pathways to strengthen protections or contract requirements that could improve pay and working conditions, while acknowledging statutory limits.

Speakers quoted: "We are met with low wages, minimal benefits, and poor working conditions... Sometimes, we're even pressured to push 2 passengers at the same time," said Dominique Chambers, a wheelchair agent at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

"We are not asking for favors. We are demanding fairness," said Danielle Prophet, president of CWA Local 3645.

What to expect next: Staff and the city attorney will compile legal analysis and the union's proposed ordinance language for a committee discussion; councilmembers proposed the Budget and Intergovernmental Relations committee as an appropriate venue to review procurement options and safety standards.