Airline food workers to bring multi-city “Fed Up Tour” to Philadelphia
13 workers who prepare food for American at airports across the country will join Philadelphia airline food workers at a rally outside subcontractor Sky Chefs
Contact:
Meghan Cohorst, 239-503-1533, [email protected]
Adam Yalowitz, 202-826-4086, [email protected]
What: Dozens of airline food workers rally outside Sky Chefs, subcontracted catering provider for American Airlines
When: Tuesday, June 13, 3pm
Where: 8401 Escort St, Philadelphia
Who: Airline food workers from across the country join Philadelphia workers who prepare, pack and deliver food and beverages to American and other carriers.
NOTE: Airline food workers are available now through June 13 for interviews on their personal experiences working to prepare and deliver food for American and other major airlines, including their poor wages and working conditions, and how they are connected to passenger treatment.
Why:
The airline industry is booming, with 2016 profits reaching a record $35 billion for U.S. carriers. Despite this, passengers continue to pay more for once-included amenities such as checked baggage and extra leg room while its food service contractors pay workers poverty wages below even the legal minimum wage in several cities. At a time when many airline employees are seeing well-deserved raises, workers who prepare food for American in Philadelphia make as little as $7.90 per hour.
In response, the poorest workers in the airline industry are embarking on a tour to tell American Airlines they are Fed Up with poverty wages, unsafe working conditions and an ever-diminishing passenger experience. 13 airline food workers will gather in Charlotte before visiting Washington, Philadelphia and New Yorkâ all American Airlines hub citiesâ on their way to American’s annual shareholders meeting. Along the way, workers will take part in events calling on titans of the industry to change their ways, and will invite disgruntled passengers to join them.
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UNITE HERE is a union with over 270,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, including 37,000 airline catering and concessions workers. It represents 15,000 airline catering workers, employees of Gate Gourmet, Flying Food Group and LSG Sky Chefs, at 51 airports across the country.
