Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
Coordinator, 8 years
Member of UNITE HERE Local 24
Born in Mississippi, raised in Detroit, Shandolyn Lewis has never known anything other than to fight. And for 8 years, she’s been fighting for fairer wages, more affordable health insurance, and an overall better workplace for herself and her coworkers in the kitchens at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). While Shandolyn hasn’t ever been one to back down in the face of injustice, this is a fight she doesn’t feel she has a choice but to take on. Because this fight isn’t about her – it’s about her 12-year-old daughter, who suffers from chronic asthma.
In June, my coworkers at Detroit Metro Airport and I voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike when released, joining thousands in my UNITE HERE union family who did the same. I’m in this fight for my 12-year-old daughter Ariana. I pay $400 per month for the company’s health insurance just to be able to take her to the doctor to treat her chronic asthma. But even after taking $100 out of my paycheck every week, I’m still left with expensive medical bills. We work for a subcontractor LSG Sky Chefs, but our work makes the airlines money. Without us, the airlines wouldn’t have food or water to offer passengers. We can’t afford to wait anymore for what we deserve.”
