According to a press release from Unite Here Local 2, the 1,000 striking employees are seeking higher wages, including cooks, servers, dishwashers, baristas, lounge attendants and cashiers for 80 plus food and beverage outlets at the airport. The strike, which they voted to authorize in August, has no end date.
Unite Here Local 2 claimed most of their earnings earn $17.05 hourly wages and haven't received pay increases in a few years.
California has its minimum wage at $15 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees and $14 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees, according to the state's Department of Industrial Relations. They will increase to $15.50 per hour starting in 2023.
San Francisco has a local ordinance that requires workers to be paid at least $16.99 hourly wages.
My pay for a whole hour of work is less than the price of a single meal. That is so unfair, Vivian Narvarte, a food worker at the airport, is quoted as saying in the release. I'm on strike because I want to quit my second job and have more time with my family. The union told air travelers to bring their own food to the airport due to the strike. San Francisco International Airport said that it has caused some food and beverage outlets to close and others to offer limited hours and eating options.
Staffing at newsstands is not currently affected, and these outlets will continue to offer grab-and- go food and beverages. The airport added that full-service meal availability may be limited. SFO apologizes for any inconvenience this causes. Anand Singh, the union's president, said the union has been negotiating with the employers for nine months.
A group of food service workers and supporters were arrested earlier in the month after blocking traffic at San Francisco International Airport as part of a protest against current wages and health care, the union said in a Sept. 16 press release.