DAVID ERICKSON
A group of airport workers in Missoula walked out on the job and staged a protest on Monday to convey their disappointment with low wages, unsafe working conditions and lack of hazard pay.
The workers are employed by Unifi Service, an Atlanta-headquartered company that has a contract to work for Delta and United Airlines at Missoula International Airport and several other airports in the region. The workers handle baggage, clean airplanes, work with customers at gates, de-ice airplanes and marshall planes on the tarmac. The final straw was when they called us unskilled workers, explained ramp agent Jared Bonney. Another worker, Joey Braun, said they have to complete a minimum of 140 hours of initial online training and have additional trainings on a regular basis.Â