Flight attendants demonstrate at SFO as part of global 'Day of Action'
Flight schedules at SFO are not expected to be impacted by the protest.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Thousands of flight attendants are joining forces Tuesday in what's being called a "Day of Action."
They are picketing outside major airports to push for higher wages, pay, and better working conditions.
Flight schedules at SFO are not expected to be impacted by the demonstration and flight attendants participating are not actually scheduled to be working Tuesday.
Unions representing more than 100,000 flight attendants from airlines including American, Alaska, Frontier, Southwest and United are demanding better pay, retirement benefits and more flexible schedules.
VIDEO: Angry passenger punches United employee on flight from San Francisco to Houston
The unions also want flight attendants to be paid for all their time working. Most are not compensated for time spent waiting between flights in the airport or even time boarding the plane.
In a joint statement, flight attendants are vowing to fight corporate greed, saying "our time on the job must be compensated, we need flexibility and control of our lives. Legacy sexism that traditionally devalued our jobs must be stamped out and replaced with the true value of our work."
Flight attendants say they are also concerned about the danger of unruly passengers with incidents on the rise since the pandemic.
"Then he spat again in my face and sucker punched me in the eye. I was knocked back three feet before falling to the ground," Pedro Enriquez, an American flight attendant said.
"I was hit in the head, knocked to the ground, and I sustained very serious injuries as a result of that," Jennifer Vitalo, a Southwest flight attendant said.
MORE: SFO restaurant workers win raises, guaranteed health care in strike
Ahead of the demonstration, Alaska Airlines released a statement, saying in part:
"We've been offering industry leading top-of-scale pay for months with an immediate 15% raise to the entire pay scale and additional raises every year. We've closed more than 50 tentative agreements - representing dozens of topics where we've found common ground."
Flight attendants scheduled to work have been encouraged to picket virtually.
SFO is one of more than 30 airports across the world expected to have flight attendants joining in on the "Day of Action."
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