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Airport restaurant workers strike, press city to require health coverage and job security
Summary
Workers at San Francisco International Airport walked off the job for two days in a dispute with concessionaires over health‑care costs, job security and employer behavior. Local 2 says talks have advanced but no deal was yet final; the Board scheduled a Committee of the Whole hearing and continued oversight to Jan. 7, 2015.
Dozens of airport restaurant workers who belong to UNITE HERE Local 2 told the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16 that they staged a two‑day, limited strike on Dec. 12–13 to press employers for a contract with affordable health care, protections on job security and improved workplace conduct.
Anand Singh, a rank‑and‑file representative of Local 2, said the action sent a “clear message” after employers resisted contributions toward rising health‑care costs. “The employer's insistence that they would not put 1p towards the rising cost of health care over the next 5 years is what created the impetus for that strike,” Singh said.
Multiple workers described the strain of low wages, high housing costs and employer practices they called coercive. Testimony included accounts that some employers considered threats of firing employees who participated in the strike, managers changing employees’ schedules without notice, and restricted access to tip pools. Several workers described paying hundreds of dollars a month for family health coverage or lacking any employer coverage.
Airport Director John Martin and Local 2 negotiators were both credited for intensive talks; Supervisor David Campos and others said the airport, as landlord, has a responsibility to monitor lessees and the public‑facing quality of concessions. Supervisor Campos asked the city attorney’s office to review concessions leases to determine whether vendors may raise menu prices unilaterally without airport approval; the city attorney agreed to report back.
The Board of Supervisors voted to convene a Committee of the Whole to hold an informational hearing on airport labor disputes and to continue the item for follow‑up; supervisors set a continuity date. The Board agreed to continue item 48 to Jan. 7, 2015, for further oversight and public testimony.
Why it matters: The airport is a major city employer and a prominent commercial gateway; managers collect roughly $18 million annually from concession rents, which fund airport operations. Workers and labor advocates argued that employers’ revenue gains over recent years should fund affordable employee health care and job protections.
What’s next: Local 2 said negotiations had made progress in the 48 hours before the hearing but no final contract had been announced. The Board scheduled continued oversight in early January and asked staff to report on lease terms and any limits on vendor price increases.
Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 16, 2014.
