200 YVR Airport Food Service Workers Join UNITE HERE Local 40

200 YVR Airport Food Service Workers Join UNITE HERE Local 40

Time Stamp: February 21, 2023 4:15 PM
Source Node: 1970778

Over 200 cooks, dishwashers, servers, cashiers, and bartenders who work for SSP Canada at Vancouver International Airport voted to join Local 40 last week. They serve the travelling public at outlets such as Monks Bar and Grill, Dirty Apron, Sal y Limon, Banh Shop, Freshii, and Thai Hang, among others. SSP is one of several multinational operators contracted by the Vancouver Airport Authority to operate food service outlets inside the terminals.

SSP workers join nearly 350 other food service workers at YVR Airport already represented by UNITE HERE Local 40. The union represents airport workers at HMS Host and Taste on the Fly.

Together, more than 500 YVR Airport food service workers will be negotiating in 2023 for family sustaining jobs.  

Currently, contracted airport food service workers are not covered by the YVR Living Wage announced in 2022.  Many of them are earning well below the Metro Vancouver living wage of $24.08 per hour.

“We congratulate the 200 SSP workers who took the brave step to stand up and join our union so they can bargain for a better standard that all YVR airport workers deserve,” said Zailda Chan, president of UNITE HERE Local 40

Local 40 also represents airline catering workers who led a strike action at Gate Gourmet in 2022 and won the biggest wage increases in years for those food service workers. Following that victory, the majority of Gate Gourmet workers will be making close to $25/hour by this summer.

UNITE HERE affiliates represent over 3,000 SSP workers across North America.

UNITE HERE Local 40 is the union for B.C.’s hospitality workers and represents members in the hotel, food service, and airport industries. Learn more at UniteHereLocal40.org.

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