Twenty-five people, including members of the Board of Supervisors and other public officials, were arrested Friday after allegedly blocking the road outside San Francisco International Airport during a protest.
Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Connie Chan, former supervisor and insurance commissioner candidate Jane Kim, and state Sen. Josh Becker were among those arrested by the SFPD, according to Mandelman.
SEIU United Service Workers West organized the protest to demand higher wages for airport workers who clean airplane cabins, move passengers in wheelchairs, and handle baggage. Hundreds took part in the rally, the union said.
“I stand with those workers and SEIU USWW for good-paying jobs, fair wages, and an economy that respects the dignity of those who make the Bay Area run,” Becker said in a statement.
Police responded at 11 a.m. to monitor the protest and declared an unlawful assembly at 12:30 p.m., ordering the crowd to disperse.
The SFPD confirmed that 25 people were arrested but did not identify the elected officials involved in the bust. No one was injured, police said.
The arrests were made for not clearing the roadway, disobeying a uniformed traffic officer, and failure to disperse, according to Robyn Burke, Chan’s chief of staff.
Chan and Mandelman were briefly held by officers.
“It was great to be part of the demonstration,” Mandelman said.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder was also present but was not involved in any civil disobedience, Mandelman said.
A May Day rally was set to begin at 2 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza, with demonstrators expected to march down Market Street to the Embarcadero.
A separate labor rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Embarcadero Plaza, where members of the longshoremen’s union plan to re-enact moments from San Francisco’s 1934 general strike before marching to City Hall.
Students from local schools are expected at later rallies, according to Sasha Wright, communications director for Jobs with Justice San Francisco.
Wright called on officials to resist proposed cuts to local services, noting that immigrant communities, transgender residents, and city workers face layoffs despite what she described as significant municipal reserves.
“We’re seeing this as a way to engage workers and show our power and demonstrate our power ahead of the midterm elections,” she said. “We think that there are potential threats to our democracy in the midterms and that we’re going to need workers organized to defend democracy.”
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