Striking Los Angeles International Airport employees returned to work Friday morning, less than 24 hours after baggage handlers, security personnel and janitors walked off the job after months of failed contract negotiations.
The return to work came after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa brokered a three-week cooling-off period between the airline service workers and the private companies that LAX contracts with for services reports the Los Angeles Times.
“I am urging the workers and contractors, with the support of the airlines, to come to a fair agreement that ensures quality services and keeps passengers moving safely and efficiently at the international gateway to Southern California,” Villaraigosa said in a statement.
Tanya Aquino, spokeswoman for the Service Employees International Union, said an agreement to resume negotiations was reached early Friday morning after the mayor came to both parties asking them to cooperate.
By 8 a.m., she said, workers who had begun striking at noon Thursday were starting to head back to their jobs.
“We’re hopeful that the contractors will come to the table with a new commitment for workers’ rights and improved quality services,” Aquino said, “the things that workers went on strike for yesterday.”
Read more here: Striking LAX Workers return to Jobs