by Travelers flying through San Francisco International Airport may want to bring snacks. About 1,000 workers in the airport’s restaurants, bars, cafes and lounges went on strike on Monday to demand higher wages.
“Travelers should plan to bring their own food, as workers are on strike at nearly every food and beverage outlet inside the airport,” Unite Here Local 2, a union representing hospitality workers in the airport, said in a press release. Bay area.
Most cashiers, baristas, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, waiters and lounge attendants make $17.05 an hour and haven’t had a raise in three years, according to Unite Here. Negotiations for a wage increase have been ongoing for nine months, according to the labor group.
The minimum wage at the San Francisco airport is $19.15 an hour, according to San Francisco’s minimum wage ordinance. The union and employers previously agreed to waive the minimum but have jointly decided to return to it in 2019 unless a higher rate is offered, a Unite Here representative told CBS MoneyWatch in an email.
“Employers are hiding behind the expired waiver and blatantly ignoring the clear contract provision requiring compliance with [minimum compensation ordinance],” he said
As part of the indefinite strike, airport workers are negotiating with 30 different employers at 84 food and beverage outlets, which are represented by the SFO Airport Restaurant Employers Council. The group’s spokesman and chief negotiator did not immediately return a request for comment.
In 2020, the living wage in San Francisco County for a single adult without dependents was $30.81 an hour, according to a calculator devised by Amy Glasmeier, a professor of economic geography and regional planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“I have to work two jobs to support my family and make ends meet, and that means I can barely see my kids and grandkids,” said Vivian Narvarte, who works at both Pie Five Pizza and and at Ladle & Leaf Restaurant in SFO. announcement issued by Unite Here.
“Food service workers at SFO are tired of working two or even three jobs just to get by,” said Anand Singh, president of Unite Here’s local, which represents more than 15,000 workers at the San Francisco airport, in Auckland International Airport, in hotels, restaurants, cafes and sports grounds.
San Francisco airport officials acknowledged that the labor action had an impact on service in restaurants and lounges. “Some food and drink outlets are closed, while others remain open with limited hours and specials,” the SFO said on Monday in an emailed statement. Airport kiosks remain open.
