Striking airline food workers walk picket line at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario
Published April 17, 2024 at 12:59 pm
A number of travellers leaving Pearson Airport in Mississauga on board Canada’s two largest airlines and other carriers could be without the usual in-flight snacks, meals and drinks as striking workers at a large airline catering company remain on the picket line for a second day.
In a news release, Teamsters Local Union 647, which represents some 800 workers at Gate Gourmet in Mississauga, said employees there went on strike just after midnight Tuesday. Workers remained in the midst of work action as of Wednesday afternoon.
Employees voted overwhelmingly to reject a final offer from the company, union officials said.
The workers prepare and deliver meals, snacks, beverages and other supplies for passengers and crew on board hundreds of planes each day that depart Canada’s biggest and busiest airport.
Union officials said the strike could leave passengers on about one-quarter of the daily flights leaving Pearson (about 100 or more) with fewer or no snacks, meals and beverages.
In its news release, the union noted Gate Gourmet is “by far the largest airline catering company operating out of Toronto” and airlines most impacted by the strike include the country’s two biggest carriers, Air Canada and WestJet.
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Other potentially affected airlines include United Airlines, Delta Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Air India, Aero Mexico, SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Canadian carrier Jetlines.
In an email statement to insauga.com, WestJet spokesperson Julia Kaiser said last week the airline has a plan to accommodate passengers during the strike.
“In preparation, our catering team has proactively prepared contingency plans to mitigate impact to WestJet’s operations in Toronto to ensure we can continue providing food and beverage for our guests onboard our aircraft,” the statement reads.
Air Canada reportedly also has contingency plans in place during the work stoppage.
The Teamsters union represents about 3,000 food industry workers across Ontario.
“We are in a cost-of-living crisis, but Gate Gourmet is ignoring their employees’ families’ basic needs and won’t agree to pay workers a living wage,” lead union negotiator and president of Teamsters Local Union 647 Martin Cerqua said in an earlier news release.
The union insists workers are paid well below industry standards and it’s seeking to close the gap.
Gate Gourmet has also slashed staffing levels since the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a rise in workplace accidents as employees struggle to maintain productivity levels, the Teamsters said.
A statement from Gate Gourmet Canada on Tuesday said company officials are “disappointed that the union’s refusal to continue to negotiate has led to a strike this week.”
The company said it presented a final offer it considered to be “fair and market competitive,” but that the union “walked away from the negotiating table.”
Gateway said it believed the offer addressed concerns over wages, benefits and working conditions. A 12 per cent pay hike over three years was included in the proposal, the company added.