“We got major economic gains and significant protections around subcontracting automation,” Kurt Petersen, the union’s co-president, said. “I don’t know the soccer analogy, but it’s a grand slam of a contract.”
“We know they’re going to make a lot of money during these events,” Yolanda Fierro, a suite runner and union member who voted to authorize the strike, told the Guardian. “So what we want is a thank-you – gratitude from the company, giving us a good, equitable contract for increasing our wages, so we can survive out here in California because it’s very expensive here in this state.”
Local 11 Co-President Susan Minato spoke at the LA action of the “Seven Days in June” to draw attention to the devastating cuts to healthcare funding that will come into effect after the midterm elections.
The week of coordinated actions across the US and Canada was organized by a coalition of unions and community organizations including UNITE HERE International Union and Cleve Jones, a longtime advocate for healthcare for the LGBTQ community.
The LA event where our Co-President Susan Minato spoke was hosted by Richard Zaldivar of the Wall Las Memorias. For more information about the the Seven Days in June campaign visit the website sevendaysinjune.org.
“The two women, Julianne Perez and Vanessa Wainer, allege they experienced verbal abuse, intimidation and harassment from the club’s executive chef, Ken Haselwood, whom they say specifically targeted pregnant women. In their complaints, they say they raised their concerns with the club’s human resources department and the Long Beach Yacht Club General Manager Norm Rich multiple times over the last three years and their concerns were never addressed.”
Union leaders say the company’s latest proposal includes wage freezes for some workers and annual raises of 25 cents per hour for others. They argue workers deserve a larger share of the revenue expected during the FIFA World Cup, noting that some hospitality suite packages are selling for more than $100,000.
“The cooks, dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers represented by Unite Here Local 11 have been working without a contract for a year and the union says negotiations with Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, have stalled. Workers are demanding salary increases, protection against subcontracting and job loss through automation, and are protesting FIFA’s collection of sensitive private information such as nationality and home addresses.”
“If a strike is approved during the two-day vote, Kurt Petersen, co-president of the union, said the 70,000 fans arriving for the June 12 World Cup opener between the U.S. and Paraguay will be greeted by hundreds of picketing workers.”
“We felt the company (Legends) were not taking the concerns and demands seriously enough,” Petersen said. “At midday (Tuesday), the workers told the company that we intend to proceed with a strike vote. The vote is scheduled for next week over two days on Thursday and Friday.”
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.
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.
