Sea-Tac airline food workers to rally July 3

SEATAC — On June 12, airline food workers at Skychefs and Gate Gourmet — the folks who prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served onboard Alaska, American, United, and other airlines on flights departing from Sea-Tac International Airport — voted by a 99.7 percent majority to strike when released by the National Mediation Board. The strike vote at Sea-Tac was part of the largest such vote ever to occur in the U.S. airline catering industry, with thousands of workers voting in 21 cities.

Contract negotiations with UNITE HERE are ongoing but have failed to secure offers to improve wages and health care benefits for airline catering workers in the Seattle region and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the three largest airlines in the country, American, Delta, and United, earned $50 billion in combined profits over the past five years alone.

TAKE A STAND! — On Wednesday, July 3, one of the busiest travel days of the summer, all union members and community supporters are invited to show their solidarity with these workers struggling against poverty wages. Rally with Sea-Tac airline catering workers (UNITE HERE Local 8) at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Airport Charter Bus Parking Lot on the ground floor of the airport parking garage.

Of the 844 workers who work for Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet, the majority are immigrants and refugees from all over the world. They make as little as $12.05 per hour, with 73% earning less than $15, because they are not covered by the City of SeaTac’s minimum wage (currently at $16.09). In addition, they lack affordable and quality union health insurance or union pensions. Like many other workers at Sea-Tac Airport, they are demanding that ONE JOB should be enough to survive in our community and demanding the end of poverty wages for airport workers. For more information please visit www.airportstrikealert.org.

Please join them on Wednesday, July 3 at 5:30 p.m. to show your solidarity with their efforts. Thank you.

UNITE HERE Local 8 is the hospitality workers’ union and represents more than 5,000 members working in the hotel, food service, and airport industries in Washington and Oregon, including 900 airline food workers at SeaTac Airport. Learn more at unitehere8.org.