Food workers at SF International Airport strike for higher wages

SCREEN CAPTURE / KTVU

Many of the striking food employees walking the picket line are Asian American workers.

If you're planning in flying out of San Francisco International Airport today, expect long lines because of a strike by restaurant workers, hundreds of whom are Asian Americans.

About a thousand workers at SFO's restaurants, coffee shops bars and lounges are on strike Monday, Sept. 26. They say their wages have not kept pace with inflation and that some have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet.

“You shouldn’t have to strike for basic things like a good job and affordable health care, but workers at SFO are ready if that’s what it takes,” said Anand Singh, President of Unite Here Local 2. “After months of negotiations, employers still aren’t taking workers seriously, and we’re done with it.”

Travelers expecting meal before their flight or purchasing a snake for a flight should plan on bringing their own food, says a press release.

“Some food and beverage outlets are closed, while others remain open with limited hours and offerings,” says Doug Yakel, ​​the public information officer for SFO’s External Affairs Office. Online ordering for restaurants that serve at SFO such as Goldilocks Filipino Cuisine in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, is unavailable. Yakel says that souvenir shops that serve limited pre-packaged food are open.

Workers voted to strike in August. Since Sept. 16 there have been smaller demonstrations. 16. There is no predetermined end to the strike, say representatives of Unite Here Local 2 union.

Bloomberg reports that the union has posted several TikTok videos in which workers compare their pay — which is typically around $17.05 per hour — to the prices of food at their establishments. In one clip, a worker named Anthony says “we sell $21 margaritas and we’re getting paid $16 an hour.” In another, a woman named Vivian Narvarte who works at Pie Five Pizza and Ladle & Leaf Restaurant, said her hourly pay doesn’t cover the cost of a pizza and drink meal, which retails for over $21. 

“I’m a single mom living paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Margaret Manalo, a lounge attendant at SFO for seven years. “It’s my first time getting involved with the union ... because I want to push the employers to give us the wages and health care we need. One job should be enough to have a good life and provide food for your family.”

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