FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Airline workers picketed outside the Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) Monday. It was the first informational picket the airport has ever had, according to officials. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) Union gathered ramp workers together to picket for higher wages and better benefits. The workers are contracted through Piedmont Airlines, which falls under American Airlines. However, they say their labor deal with Piedmont expired more than a year ago. “We've been in contract negotiations for over a year now, which has been very difficult… The company’s not offering much money. They've had record-breaking profits, but yet they're not giving their first-line workers any substantial raises,” CWA 9408 Vice President Cleo Cabrel said. Cross Agent Manuel Hernandez has worked at the Fresno airport for three years and says the Piedmont employees are paid an average of $19 an hour. He says the company is offering them a $00.16 raise in the new contract. They want at least a $00.30 raise. “They showed a $212 million net profit for the third quarter. And, you know, what they're offering us is just minimal - it’s pennies on the dollar,” Hernandez said. In a statement, Piedmont Airlines says it values the work that their more than 8,000 team members do to take care of our customers and each other every day. We are currently in active discussions with the CWA to make sure our employees feel fully supported and cared for, both by the union and by our organization. These conversations cover important topics, including fair wages, and we are committed to reaching an agreement that reflects the needs and well-being of our team. We’re optimistic that together, we’ll achieve an outcome everyone can feel proud of. Piedmont Airlines. The turmoil comes as AAA predicts record-breaking travel during the week of Thanksgiving. Among those traveling, they expect 5.8 million people to get on an airplane. “We're seeing more travelers across the country and in California than we've seen since 2019, actually passing 2019,” Northern California AAA spokesperson John Treanor said. Nobody can fly to grandma’s house for the holidays without ramp workers, though. “The plane can take off, but there wouldn't be any passengers or luggage on it,” Hernandez said. He says the busy holiday travel season will make his job much harder, so he thinks him and other ramp workers deserve higher wages. While Monday’s demonstration was only an informational picket, CWA representatives say a strike is not off the table. They hope the company will work with them to avoid a strike.