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Sky Harbor Airport workers arrested during protest

About a half dozen protestors were arrested when they blocked a road near the 44th Street Sky Train Tuesday.

PHOENIX — About a half dozen protesting airport workers were arrested Tuesday as they sat down in the middle of a road near the 44th Street Sky Train station in Phoenix.

The protestors were part of a rally for Sky Harbor airport workers that was held just inside the train station. 

People at the rally demanded higher pay and better benefits for jobs at the airport that they say are often overlooked, like janitorial jobs, kitchen staff and baggage handling.

They want a guarantee of better benefits to be written into the FAA Reauthorization Act, which is making its way through Congress.

The bill funds the Federal Aviation Administration for the next five years and often includes incentives for airlines, as well as upgrades to infrastructure and safety. 

It passed the House without any of those provisions and is currently sitting in the Senate, where unions hope that provisions will be added. 

After the rally at the station, a group of protestors walked to nearby 41st Place where they sat down in the street. Phoenix police officers warned them they would be arrested if they didn't move. 

They refused and officers handcuffed them before leading them away. Immediately after the arrests, the crowd broke up. 

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