Workers Rally at Airport Amidst American Airlines Lease Negotiations

Workers Rally at Airport Amidst American Airlines Lease Negotiations

Charlotte City Council member JD Mazuera Arias and NC Rep-elect Rev. Rodney Sadler joined airport workers and union organizers on Thursday to protest work conditions and low wages at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) as the city negotiates a new lease with American Airlines.

SEIU Local 32BJ represents employees of Prospect and ABM, third-party companies that provide workers to serve as wheelchair attendants, cabin cleaners and provide other services for airlines. For years, these workers and members of SEIU 32BJ have campaigned to increase wages, provide benefits and ensure safety for workers at CLT.

Last year, these efforts centered on demands that Charlotte City Council pass a Charlotte Acting for Safety and Efficiency (CASE) ordinance, which sought to address CLT’s high turnover rate and understaffing, which council refused on the advice of the then-city attorney.

Though some council members expressed interest in exploring other options to better ensure that employees of third-party contractor companies are treated and paid fairly, a majority of council voted not to do so.

Now with American Airlines’ lease expiring in June, workers have resumed their campaign for better wages and working conditions.

“One of the busiest airports in the world should not be powered by poverty wages,” said Mazuera Arias, who was voted onto council after last year’s discussions took place. Workers with 32BJ SEIU endorsed and campaigned for Mazuera Arias’ election due largely to his support for the airport workers’ push for fair treatment.

“As the city negotiates a new lease with American Airlines, we have an opportunity to make sure the success of Charlotte Douglas benefits the entire community,” the council member said on Thursday.

Read more: SEIU Stands Firm in Calling for City to Improve Pay, Safety at CLT (2025)

SEIU 32BJ reports that nearly 40% of airport workers report being housing insecure, with some sleeping in their cars or even at the airport between shifts. Some earn as little as $12.50 an hour, face chronic understaffing, unsafe working conditions and unaffordable health care, according to the union. American Airlines accounts for nearly 90% of the flights out of Charlotte.

“American Airlines can no longer treat Charlotte as its piggy bank,” said Niecy Brown, district director of SEIU Workers United NC. “The city needs to take back control of their airport and ensure passengers, workers, and the community can get a fair deal and benefit from this new lease. As the largest economic engine in the state CLT should be producing middle class jobs that benefit our economy.”

UPDATE: In an email to Queen City Nerve, an American Airlines spokesperson stated, “While we respect the right to collective bargaining, the SEIU does not officially represent any employer at CLT Airport. American does not get involved in discussions between other companies and their employees, and it’s disappointing to see the SEIU’s ongoing narrative misaligned with the facts — particularly regarding the airline’s involvement in vendor wage discussions.

“American is a proud member of the Charlotte community — providing more than 650 daily departures worldwide from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and partnering with community organizations — all of which makes Charlotte a more attractive place to live, work, visit and do business,” the statement continued.
“The airline’s hub at CLT drives $30 billion into the state’s economy and powers 150,000 jobs in North Carolina.”

For its part, the city maintains the position it took last year, according to reporting from WSOC, citing state law that prohibits cities from passing ordinances that regulate how a private company pays its employees. Mazuera Arias has said he hopes the city can explore options outside of mandating higher wages to ensure airport workers are treated fairly.

Sustain Charlotte Launches Public Design Challenge to Reimagine I-77

Amidst ongoing community outcry regarding the impact of plans to add toll lanes to I-77 along its southern stretch in Charlotte, Sustain Charlotte on Thursday announced the launch of “Reimagining 77 South: A Vision for Repairing and Reconnecting Charlotte,” a public design challenge inviting residents, designers and students to imagine new possibilities for the I-77 corridor through Charlotte.

The NC Department of Transportation (NC DOT) announced on March 2 that it will expand the community engagement period for the controversial I-77 South Express Lanes project, pushing back the planned request for proposals from potential developers to late June 2026.

A release from Sustain Charlotte on Thursday said the pause provides “a rare window for the community to explore alternative visions for the corridor.”

Community members are invited to submit visual concepts that reimagine how the corridor could better serve Charlotte’s neighborhoods, environment and future growth. Ideas may include freeway caps or tunnels, parks and greenways, new walking and biking connections, restored waterways or other approaches that reconnect communities and improve quality of life, according to Thursday’s release.

“For decades, highways built through cities divided neighborhoods and limited opportunity,” said Shannon Binns, founder and executive director of Sustain Charlotte. “This challenge invites local residents to imagine what it could look like to repair past harm and reconnect our communities, as so many other cities have already begun to do.”

Read more: Opposition to I-77 Toll Lanes Grows with Proposed Design Release (2025)

The submission deadline is April 6. Selected submissions will be displayed at a free public exhibit on April 13 at the Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City, part of a free public event called How the Cities We Build Shape How We Live. Learn more about the design challenge or submit your own design at the Sustain Charlotte website.

Sycamore Brewing Sells, Reopens as Club West Brewing

The former Sycamore Brewing on Thursday announced its planned reopening as the newly rebranded Club West Brewing, which opens today with Brad Bergman, former director of brewery operations, at the helm.

“Upon receipt of regulatory approvals, Bergman will acquire 100 percent of Club West Brewing and assume full ownership and management, marking what company leadership describes as not simply a new chapter, but an entirely new book for the business,” read a release on Thursday. The release referred to Bergman as “a key operational leader at the brewery for eight years.”

The announcement comes following the arrest of Sycamore Brewing’s co-founder, Justin Brigham, for child rape in December.

Brigham’s ex-wife and cofounder Sarah Taylor released her own statement on Thursday separate from the Club West release that read, “I am proud of what this team built together, and I believe the best days for the brewery are still ahead under Brad’s leadership. Selling the brewery to Brad was a decision I came to thoughtfully. He understands this business, and the people behind it that make it special. I believe deeply in the team and in the future of this brewery under his leadership.

“I will assist during the transition and then step away to focus on my family and my mental health,” Taylor continued. “I am tremendously grateful for the employees who helped build this business and confident they are in good hands moving forward. For clarity, I initiated formal divorce proceedings from my former partner, Justin Brigham, immediately following the publicly reported incident. The transition of ownership and the relaunch of the brewery as Club West Brewing reflect my decision to move the business forward under new leadership while focusing on my family and personal well-being. On a personal note, I am praying for everyone impacted by this tragedy, especially the victim.”

In Thursday’s release from Club West, which was described as a “name [that] reflects a broader vision inspired by the spirit of the American West,” Bergman said his focus moving forward will be to support the team, maintain the quality of the beer and beverage program, and continue building a place where people want to gather.

“Club West is about all the people behind it,” Bergman said. “My job is to support that team and keep building something we are proud of.”

Former Epicentre Site Up for Sale Again

The Queen City Quarter, formerly known as Epicentre, will soon hit the market again. The Uptown entertainment complex’s current property management firm CBRE plans to list the property in the coming weeks, as first reported by Charlotte Business Journal on Wednesday.

Only about a dozen of the complex’s 50 tenant spaces are currently filled. Leadership with CBRE has said any potential buyer will need to come forward with a developed plan to improve the property before a deal will be considered.

CBRE announced in October 2022 that it would be leading the marketing, property management and renovation efforts at the 302,324-square-foot Queen City Quarter mixed-use development, working under property owners 210 East Trade Street Holdings LLC.

That announcement came with promises to immediately begin renovations and repairs to the courtyard, parking garage, patios and roof, with work on the property’s public staircases and escalators beginning in 2023, along with installation of new landscaping, lighting and benches.

Since then, some renovations have been made and a few new tenants have moved in, but other longtime tenants such as CVS have moved out as work has stalled.

NCDP Calls on Candidates to Return Money from Shady Fundraiser

Recent reporting revealing ties between convicted sex offender-turned-party leader Harvey L. West and several of the state Republican Party’s major candidates, including US Senate nominee Michael Whatley, has garnered demands from the NC Democratic Party (NCDP) that GOP Supreme Court Justices who accepted funds from West’s well-known fundraising picnics return the money.

“We can’t trust our Supreme Court justices to keep our children safe if they’re kissing the ring of a known child predator in exchange for campaign contributions,” read a statement from NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton.

“Hosting a big annual fundraiser for Republican court candidates at the home of a convicted child sex predator shows that Republicans will always put their wealthy donors above our kids. At the very least, the justices that raised money with Harvey West should immediately donate those funds to an organization committed to stopping child trafficking and exploitation.”