An American Airlines jet is catered on the tarmac in Miami. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg)
Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The contract covering 10,000 airline catering workers at LSG Sky Chefs was last amended in 2016, more than nine years ago. It became amendable again in 2018. So far, despite years of negotiations, no deal has been reached.
Last July, about 8,000 workers at Gate Gourmet, the other leading airline caterer, reached a tentative deal, which was ratified in August. Their contract had also become amendable on Dec. 31, 2018.
A big difference in negotiations was that the Gate Gourmet workers had been released to strike by the National Mediation Board. The tentative agreement came late at night on Friday, July 26. on Friday night, with a strike looming.
By contrast, the LSG Sky Chef workers have not been released. Moreover, given that the Trump administration has been less favorable to labor unions than the Biden administration was, a release seems less likely, which means less pressure on negotiators.
The workers, represented by Unite Here, plan demonstrations on Thursday at 16 major airports, listed at the end of this story.
“We’ve been negotiating with Sky Chefs since the end of 2018,” said Unite Here spokeswoman Megan Cohorst. “It’s always been a long process to get a contract under the Railway Labor Act. We’re fighting for higher wages and an affordable health care plan that doesn’t cost workers a lot of money for basic health care.”
Cohorst declined to comment on the impact of the change in presidential administrations.
In a prepared statement, Unite Here noted that the contract with Gate Gourmet offers “a life-changing new contract with significant raises and better, affordable health care.” The company pays for 90% of the plan and there is no deductible.
Sky Chefs, in a prepared statement, said that it “remains engaged in active negotiations regarding our current labor agreement, under the RLA with oversight from the National Mediation Board. We have mutually scheduled bargaining sessions with Unite Here for August and look forward to continuing discussions in good faith.” RLA is the Railway Labor Act.
Talks are scheduled for next week in Baltimore.
The LSG Sky Chef workers plan to demonstrate Thursday at airports at Baltimore, Boston, Chicago (O’Hare), Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York (JFK), Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Seattle, and Washington (DCA). A picket at LAX is scheduled for August 8. Cohorst said demonstrations will focus on airlines — including American, Delta, United, and Alaska – serviced by LSG kitchens.
Unite Here said airline catering workers prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served aboard flights. “Though their work is essential to airline operations, requiring skill and precision to prevent flight delays and ensure food safety, workers report that they earn poverty wages, and that the employer-provided health care plan is too expensive,” the union said. Some LSG Sky Chef workers make less than $15 hourly, the union said.