Strikes, rain and snow pose challenges during the record-breaking Thanksgiving travel week

Labor disputes and winter weather — as well as the traditional backseat kid fights — are expected to make travel a little more difficult this week during the record holiday travel season

Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina walked off their jobs at 5 a.m. Monday after voting to strike on Friday – adding to difficult weather conditions across much of the country during what is expected to be the busiest holiday travel period on record .

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced the start of industrial action on Monday, saying it wanted to “put an end to poverty wages” and demand “respect in the workplace during the holiday travel season.”

The striking workers are ABM and Prospect Airport Services employees whose duties include cleaning aircraft interiors and assisting passengers in wheelchairs. The workers there also went on strike in May.

The airport’s online departure display initially showed no effects of the strike. Charlotte Douglas is the ninth busiest airport in the United States and handled more than 25 million passengers last year.

Later Monday, about 100 SEIU workers are planning a rally at Los Angeles International Airport demanding better pay and access to affordable health care, potentially causing travel delays on the West Coast. The union is calling for an increase in the minimum wage from $25 to $30 an hour.

Around 80 million people are expected to travel by road, rail, air and even cruise ships this week, traveling more than 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday.

“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said on

A later-than-usual Thanksgiving — the last Thursday of this year falls on Nov. 28 — could lead to greater travel pressure next Monday and Tuesday as more people head home rather than extending their visits.

Many are heading south, with the main airports of Orlando and Miami each expecting 1.9 million travelers to transit during the 12-day travel period.

Weather problems are affecting holiday plans

NBC meteorologist Michelle Grossman said two separate storm systems would bring bad weather to different parts of the country. Strong winds and snow could occur in the Rocky Mountains and Cascades on Monday and Tuesday, making travel in mountainous areas difficult.

On Wednesday, this storm will strengthen and expand as it moves east across the Plains, bringing a wintry mix of rain, snow and strong winds.

Thanksgiving will be a rainy day across much of the East Coast, from New England to the South, while it could be bitterly cold in northern states and reach 26 degrees in Minnesota.