Airline workers hold protest at Sky Harbor over low wages

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The crowd was a couple hundred strong at Terminal Four at Sky Harbor, protesting what they say are wages so low they're basically minimum wage.

Passenger service employees who work for the Piedmont Division of American Airlines were out protesting. The airline flies smaller planes like American Eagle jets.

"It is just hard to make ends meet," Wayne Reavis said. "We work ramp, ticket counter, and gate and we basically do everything."

"How much money do you make an hour?" I asked.

"Eleven-thirty-four, and at American, they are at $13 or $14 to start and I have been at Piedmont since 2014," Jamie Lynn McClay replied. "We want a livable wage, what people can live on, pay rent, take care of families, and provide."

These folks say they do the same job as those who work for American Airlines. They just work for a different division, so they ask why aren't they being paid fairly.

"The company says we should be happy," Rick Brower said. "We have jobs, they are giving fair wages now, and doing the best they can. We are an off-brand, we should value what we say."