At San Fran airport you pay $8for six ounces of beer or $4.50 for 12 ounces of soda—if you are lucky. Want a $6 hot dog or $5 cup of coffee? Then the San Fran Airport is your place. Now the workers have gone on strike for higher wages. My suspicion is that fewer workers will be needed as they place vending machines and robots to take orders and serve food. The good news is the strike will cause the
businesses to redo their working efforts, using fewer workers and more technology.
In a press release published on Monday, Unite Here Local 2—the hospitality workers’ union representing the SFO restaurant workers—said the strike includes cashiers, baristas, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, servers and lounge attendants at 84 food and beverage stores at the airport.
The majority of those striking make $17.05 per hour, said the union, adding that the workers have not gotten a raise in three years.”
You no longer need humans to take orders or payment—those folks can go. That is just a start.
San Francisco Airport Food Workers Strike, Demanding Higher Pay
Gillia Carbonaro, Newswekk, 9/26/22
About 1,000 restaurant workers went on strike at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Monday, after more than nine months of negotiations for higher pay with their employers have failed to reach a deal.
In a press release published on Monday, Unite Here Local 2—the hospitality workers’ union representing the SFO restaurant workers—said the strike includes cashiers, baristas, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, servers and lounge attendants at 84 food and beverage stores at the airport.
The majority of those striking make $17.05 per hour, said the union, adding that the workers have not gotten a raise in three years.
“I have to work two jobs to support my family and meet our needs, and it means I barely get to see my kids and grandkids,” said Vivian Narvarte, who works at both Pie Five Pizza and Ladle & Leaf Restaurant at SFO, said in the statement issued by the union. “My pay for a whole hour of work is less than the price of just one meal. That is so unfair. I’m on strike because I want to quit my second job and have more time with my family.”
“Nobody can pay their bills or feed their kids on $17 an hour,” said union President Anand Singh. “Working at SFO used to mean you had a good job, but most of the airport’s fast-food workers haven’t seen a raise in three years. The hamburger or burrito an airport worker serves often costs more than what she makes in an entire hour. Nine months of negotiations got us nowhere, and SFO’s food service workers are tired of working two or even three jobs just to survive.”
In TikTok videos which have gathered more than 500,000 views, workers have compared the price of food at the San Francisco airport with their hourly wages, highlighting how these do not cover a single meal at the facility.
The airport wrote about the strike on Twitter, warning travelers about possible disruptions. “A labor action may impact staffing at SFO restaurants and lounges today. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes,” SFO wrote.
The union advised airport-goers to bring their own food and snacks, though some packaged food is still reportedly available at some shops which SFO says are still running.
Monday’s strike follows a protest held by SFO workers from Unite Here Local 2 on September 16 which blocked traffic at the airport’s Terminal 3. Some 41 people among the workers and their supporters, including San Francisco Supervisors Gordon Mar and Connie Chan, were arrested.
