Protest Planned Near LAX Day Before Thanksgiving, Heavy Traffic Expected

Los Angeles International Airport officials today advised people heading to the airport on Wednesday to expect a longer-than-usual drive, thanks to a planned union march on Century Boulevard that afternoon.

While airport officials have been advising people to arrive two hours in advance of domestic flights and three hours before international flights, they recommended that people planning to drive to LAX between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday add about 90 minutes to their anticipated travel time.

Members of the Service Employees International Union are planning to march on Century Boulevard for about three hours to protest what the union calls unfair labor practices by an airport contractor, Aviation Safeguards.

According to the union, about 400 airport workers were left without a contract earlier this year when Aviation Safeguards, a division of Command Security Corp. of Parsippany, N.J., terminated union contracts and withdrew all health insurance.

Airport officials said the planned march will result in phased closures of westbound Century Boulevard between Airport and Sepulveda boulevards, and northbound Sepulveda between Imperial Highway and 98th Street.

All entrances to the airport's Central Terminal Area are expected to remain open, but motorists on westbound Century Boulevard could be diverted to northbound Airport Boulevard, then west on 98th Street, north on Vicksburg Avenue over the 96th Street Bridge, and into the terminal area.

Motorists were advised to avoid the intersection of Century and Airport boulevards.

SEIU represents janitors, wheelchair attendants, skycaps, security guards, and other service workers at LAX.