Restaurant workers at Phoenix airport, downtown Sheraton hotel workers strike

Hundreds of concession workers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport went on a one-day strike on Wednesday, protesting low wages and stalled union contract negotiations with employer SSP America.

The company operates half of the food and beverage shops at the Phoenix airport and employs about 400 people, including at places like Matt's Big Breakfast, Dunkin' Donuts, Pei Wei and Four Peaks Brewing Co., according to union spokesperson Victoria Stahl. SSP employees are cooks, cashiers, baristas and concession workers.

The contract between SSP and Unite Here Local 11, the union that represents airport concessions employees, expired in May.

Union workers said they are striking because they submitted a proposal in April but haven't heard back.

More than a hundred of them picketed outside the airport on Wednesday morning, banging on drums and chanting slogans like "Si Se Puede!" The rally culminated outside Terminal 3, where workers said they were struggling to make ends meet, choosing between buying meals and paying rent.

"Often the only meal that I would get a chance to eat is the meal that they serve us here at the airport," said airport employee Michael Smith.

A study recently conducted by Grand Canyon Institute, a nonprofit think tank, surveyed concessions employees at Sky Harbor and found half of workers had run out of food and not been able to afford more in the last year.

A quarter of the workers reported eating less or skipping meals for many months, the report says. The report was funded by Worker Power Institute, a progressive nonprofit organization tied to the Worker Power political action group.

Another employee, Ginger Brown, said she struggled to stretch her $17-an-hour pay, working 30 hours per week. Her rent is $1,300, and she tries to help support her grandkids, she said.

Just a few miles west, more Unite Here hotel workers picketed outside the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown hotel. Workers said they were fighting for a "fair contract with a living wage, affordable health insurance, a pension to retire with dignity, and humane workloads."

The union represents 246 workers at the Sheraton.

SSP spokesperson Lana Cramer told The Arizona Republic the company repeatedly tried to begin negotiations with Unite Here, but the union didn't agree to meet in Phoenix until Oct. 6. The next negotiation is Nov. 1.

"We feel confident we can negotiate a new contract like we’ve done numerous times in the past," Cramer said.

She added, "We just negotiated a contract successfully last year, which does lead us to wonder: Can things have changed so radically since last year as to call for some type of labor disruption by Local 11?"

Unite Here spokesperson Victoria Stahl said the union offered multiple dates to negotiate in California but that the options didn't work for SSP. Unite Here represents hospitality workers in both Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari and Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Laura Pastor spoke at the rally in support of the workers, saying the City Council needs to hold SSP's feet to the fire.

Guardado, a former housekeeper, worked as a lead organizer for Unite Here before joining the City Council.

"I've not forgotten where I come from," Guardado said. "I know that SSP is a nasty company. ... You need to continue to push and continue to fight, and we will be here."

She added, "On the council, we spend millions of dollars a year combating homelessness. And companies like SSP do not help."

SSP did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Guardado's statements.

Pastor said that because Phoenix owns the airport, she can "push those companies and try and negotiate to make it better for working families and workers."

Ansari told The Republic she planned to request meetings with SSP to advocate "face to face."

Mayor Kate Gallego was not at the rally but said in a statement, "I urge all parties to come together as soon as possible to craft a fair agreement that honors our workers while, at the same time, keeps our busy airport up and running for its customers."

Kellen Wilson, another union organizer, said Wednesday's strike forced SSP to shut down some restaurants in the terminals and staff others with managers, although The Republic could not independently verify that claim.

SSP and Phoenix airport spokespeople declined to answer questions about restaurant closures.

The strike comes just weeks after more than 100 airport services workers, including flight attendants, protested poor working conditions and low pay at the Phoenix airport.

Myriad airport workers also have pleaded directly to the City Council in recent months, sharing personal stories at public meetings about their struggles to get by.

Another picket, from United Airlines flight attendants, is scheduled for Thursday.

Action approved: Sky Harbor concession workers vote to authorize strike

Reporter Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix airport restaurant workers join Sheraton workers on strike