WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Pilots at AmeriJet International have nice big planes , but nowhere to go . Pilots are shown picketing against AmeriJet International in a YouTube video . None of the cargo carrier 's eight Boeing 727s have lavatories , pilots say , forcing the pilots and crews to use plastic bags for all their elimination needs . `` This is what you use for a Number One , '' one pilot says in a YouTube video , grabbing a small green bag . `` And a much bigger bag for a Number Two . '' The video has become the most compelling argument in the pilot 's public-relations arsenal ever since flight crews went on strike August 27 . Pay issues may be their top concern , but the lack of bathrooms has had the greatest resonance with the public , striking workers acknowledge . `` Nobody can believe that there 's no bathroom on a plane of this size , '' said Gordon Shaylor , a striking pilot who has flown for AmeriJet for 9 1/2 years . So at picket lines , and on YouTube , pilots have been hoisting the plastic bags , which the airline provides in lieu of a loo . `` It 's degrading , '' said Dawn Leschinski , one of two women pilots employed by the carrier . The striking pilots say AmeriJet originally removed the plane 's lavatories to reduce the plane 's weight and the cost of servicing the restrooms . `` Initially , they did n't provide anything , '' said pilot and shop steward Kamal Patel . `` The bags that you see ... they did n't even provide those . Eventually they realized there were some corrosion issues when crew members had to go into the cargo hold to use the bathroom . So that 's when they started to provide pee bags and bags to go Number Two . '' Pilots say that the bags are fitted around a metal frame somewhat like portable johns used by campers . At the end of their flights , pilots dispose of the bags in an airport dumpster . Pilots also complain that there are privacy issues , since cargo handlers sometimes ride in the cargo hold , where pilots go to the bathroom . `` You just have to be real discreet , '' Patel said . `` You have to do it in front of everybody else . '' An AmeriJet official declined to comment on the lavatory issue , or even discuss whether the planes have lavatories . A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said lavatories , or the lack thereof , are not a concern for regulators . `` That 's not an aviation safety issue . It 's a passenger or crew-member comfort issue , '' said agency spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen . `` There is absolutely no requirement for any aircraft to have a lavatory . '' That includes large passenger planes used for cross-country flights , Bergen said . Nor does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration require lavatories on planes , saying aircraft do not fall under their jurisdiction . But one business industry group says lavatories should be a concern . Kevin Mitchell of the Business Travel Coalition , which represents corporate travel offices , called AmeriJet 's working conditions `` worse than the sweatshops of the 1930s '' and said it is a safety issue . `` You can not have these kind of conditions and have them compatible with safety margins . It just does n't work that way . You need motivated employees with good morale that are well-rested coming up to work to fly these aircraft , '' Mitchell said . `` Poor morale among flight attendants leads to poor service . Poor morale among pilots can lead to something far more dangerous , '' he said . `` These cargo aircraft are flying in the same space as commercial passenger aircraft . These pilots are making split-second decisions on landings , on diversions , on crossing runways . And you want these people to be well-trained , well-rested and with high morale -- and that does n't appear to be the set of circumstances at AmeriJet , '' Mitchell said . Pilots in the industry say the major cargo carriers all fly planes with lavatories , but several smaller cargo carriers have eliminated restrooms .
AmeriJet flight crews went on strike August 27 , chiefly over pay issues . Lack of bathrooms on planes has caused more of stir with public , strikers says . Score: 6 FAA says it does n't regulate lavatories , and OSHA says issue is n't its jurisdiction .