Airline catering workers threaten to strike next week without new contract agreement

WASHINGTON — More than 8,000 airline catering workers are threatening to strike as early as next week, adding further uncertainty to summer travel already disrupted by the fallout from a widespread heatwave. technological failure.

The workers are employed by Gategourmet, a subsidiary of a Swiss company. They prepare, package and deliver food and drinks to planes at about 30 U.S. airports.

Unions representing the workers said Friday that they have been negotiating for six years for better wages and health insurance. The unions, including Unite Here and the Teamsters, say that only 25% of workers are covered by the company’s health insurance plan and that since January, some have been paid as little as $13 an hour.

Although catering workers are not employed by airlines, their unions argue that airline profitability This means that subcontractors like Gategourmet should be able to pay their workers better.

Gategourmet said it had made an “industry-leading offer” that includes improved wages and health care. The company said the parties “have made progress” in recent days, but that if a strike occurs by Tuesday morning’s deadline, it will use “workarounds” to ensure minimal disruption to airlines.

Strikes in the airline industry are rare because federal law requires mediators to determine whether future negotiations are unlikely to produce a deal. In this case, the National Mediation Board released the unions from mediation on June 29, setting off the clock toward a possible legal strike.

The two sides met on Friday.