RICHMOND, BC — The union representing food service workers at Vancouver International Airport says more than 200 members walked off the job Thursday to demand higher wages.
A statement from Unite Here Local 40 says the workers are employed by SSP America, which operates more than a dozen food and beverage outlets at the Vancouver airport.
The union says food service workers, servers, cooks, dishwashers and other workers set up picket lines at 4:30 a.m. for what is being billed as a “one-day strike.”
The pressure tactic ahead of the long Canada Day holiday comes after the union said workers, who were negotiating their first collective agreement, rejected the employer’s latest offer.
A company statement said SSP Canada “negotiated in good faith,” is “proud of the offer” it has presented to employees and hopes the parties can reach an agreement as quickly as possible.
The union says airport concession workers are among the lowest paid workers at Vancouver Airport and many of them are immigrant women.
The airport is certified as a Living Wage Employer, meaning it provides a “living wage” to its workers. But the union says the average hourly wage for concession staff is $7.41 less than the $25.68 calculated by Living Wage for Families BC — the benchmark the airport authority says it uses.
The Canadian Press
