Another Day, Another Strike

Now that we've made it through the Teatro Colón labor troubles, it's seems like we were one labor problem short of a full deck. Thankfully (kidding), the employees at Aerolíneas Argentinas have taken up the slack. Since late last week, the pilots' and technical workers' unions have been on strike, demanding raises of 45% and 75% respectively. This made things messy enough at local airports, but things get worse on Sunday when the airline sent telegrams to 168 employees, firing them for not complying with an emergency flight plan that says employees have to make sure 50% of domestic flights and 75% of international flights take off, no matter what. Only two flights left this weekened; so far, about 180 flights and 25,000 passengers have been grounded. I can only imagine that in-airport passenger mood--never high--is midnight black. Oh, and the conflict further cratered today when workers blocked the highway that leads to the Ezeiza international airport.

Which reminds me: I'm supposed to pick up my cousin there tomorrow. Ouch!