Workers employed by a Delta Air Lines contractor at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have voted to stage a one-day strike at the airport to protest working conditions and win the right to join a union.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 is trying to organize about 700 cart drivers, wheelchair agents, cabin cleaners, lavatory and water service fillers, unaccompanied minor escorts and baggage handlers who work for Air Serv Corp. of Atlanta.

The date of the impending strike was not divulged by the Minneapolis-based union, nor was the exact tally of the vote. Of the nearly three-quarters of eligible voters taking part in the ballot, 98 percent voted in favor of the walkout, SEIU said in a statement.

Workers converged on the Metropolitan Airports Commission meeting Monday carrying signs that said, "Ready to Strike." SEIU said it hopes to see "movement by the busy Labor Day weekend."

In a statement, Air Serv spokesman Chas Strong said the company "respects the rights of our employees to seek union representation, and we currently maintain constructive union relationships at many airports nationwide." At MSP, the company said it "supports and complies with employment standards established by the [MAC] just last year, including enhanced wages and benefits for all of our employees."

Ibrahim Mohamed, a cart driver at MSP who was named to the MAC board by Gov. Mark Dayton last year, said workers have made "significant steps, including passing paid sick time and a $1 wage increase" since then, but supports the strike nonetheless. "As a father, I know minimum wage is not enough to survive, and as a cart driver I know how critical my work is to Delta passengers," he said.

Delta is the primary carrier at MSP.

Janet Moore • 612-673-7752