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AIRPORTS

UNITE HERE local 11 represents hospitality workers in five major airports in Southern California and Arizona. We represent servers, baristas, cooks, bartenders and other concession and retail workers at LAX, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, John Wayne Airport, Long Beach Airport,  and the Ontario Airport.

Our members work for HMS Host, SSP,  Hudson News, Areas, Paradies, to name a few. We also represent airline catering workers who work for Sky Chefs and Flying Food Group.

LATEST NEWS

CAPITAL & MAIN: Did Los Angeles City Hall Blink by Delaying the Olympic Wage?

In the end, Elisa Valencia, who works for Flying Food Group, was left wondering what exactly happened to her vision for the future. She said she has been putting in serious overtime, sometimes working 13-hour days at the airline food company in order to keep up with the rising cost of living in Los Angeles.
Her wage is going to rise from $22.50 to $25 an hour this summer, a welcome first step toward some relief. But Valencia said knowing that the $30 figure was only two years off had made the thought of logging so many hours tolerable.
Now? “Four years away,” Valencia said. The idea of getting into an apartment large enough for her kids, she added, is once again on the back burner, lost to the larger struggle to keep life going in L.A

FIFA WORLD CUP TRAVEL PASSENGER ALERT!

New Serious Safety Violations at Flying Food Group (LAX)

On May 20, 2026, Cal/OSHA issued new Citations and Notifications of Penalty to Flying Food Group (“Company”) for workplace safety violations discovered during inspections of two facilities serving LAX. As set out below, these include four “serious” citations, two of which arise from the Company’s failure to ensure that cold storage rooms can be utilized safely and opened from the inside, an issue which led to a near tragedy during a fire on January 22, 2026 in which two workers were found inside a cooler room whose entrance door had been chained shut. Click here to read the full report.

Travel Daily News: European aviation unions raise concerns over Flying Food Group labour practices

European aviation trade unions have committed to mobilising support for more than 1,000 workers employed by Flying Food Group (FFG) at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), following allegations concerning labour rights and workplace conditions.

 

EUROPEAN TRANSPORT WORKERS FEDERATION: European airlines on notice: unions to demand action over reports of labour abuses in Flying Food Group supply chain

Aviation trade unions in Europe have committed to mobilising in support of over 1,000 Flying Food Group workers at SFO and LAX airports. At this week’s Section meeting, the ETF’s Civil Aviation Section passed a resolution after hearing from FFG workers and their union, UNITE HERE, to support their five-year struggle for a collective bargaining agreement. FFG workers provide catering services to numerous European carriers at LAX and SFO airports and are a critical part of their supply chains.

European Trade Unions Pledge Support for Flying Food Group Workers at LAX and SFO

On May 21, 2026, the European Transport Workers’ Federation’s Civil Aviation Section passed a resolution committing to mobilize in support of over 1,000 Flying Food Group workers at LAX and SFO, who have been struggling to improve their working conditions. The European trade unions involved represent workers at a majority of the airlines that source from FFG in Los Angeles and San Francisco, including Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Polish Airlines, KLM, ITA, Scandinavian SAS, TAP Air Portugal, and Cargolux.

The resolution was strongly backed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which is coordinating solidarity between UNITE HERE and global aviation unions including those in Europe. European aviation unions affiliated to the ETF and ITF will directly engage with airlines contracting with FFG at LAX and SFO, invoking their obligations under national and EU law.

98% of Private Suite workers voted YES to ratify their first union contract

Private Suite workers at LAX ratified a historic new contract that will give them $15 i raises over three years. By the end of the contract salaries for all 150 workers will be around $40-$50 an hour. Workers also won health care, pension, and tipped workers will be able to keep their tips that sometimes can be up to $1,500 in one day! Wow!

REPORT OF LOS ANGELES TRUTH COMMISSION ON LABOR ABUSES AT FLYING FOOD GROUP (LAX)

“What is happening at Flying Food Group is not a series of isolated incidents. It is a deeply rooted pattern of worker mistreatment and neglect. After hearing directly from employees, I am appalled by reports of unsafe and unhealthy working conditions that put workers’ lives at risk every single day. From serious fire safety violations to ongoing physical hazards across kitchen, transportation, and warehouse operations, workers are being forced to choose between earning a paycheck and protecting their own safety. No worker should ever have to report to a job where they fear being trapped in a cooler during a fire or losing access to basic healthcare without warning.” Click here for the full report.

Flying Food Workers go to City Hall

Workers at Flying Food Group went to Los Angeles City Hall to ask that their employer be held accountable.

A report recently found that Flying Food Group, which is licensed with the city of Los Angeles, violated its human rights commitments to workers who feed passengers traveling through LAX.

Sign the following petition!