Fast food workers in San Francisco, CA set up shop outside SFO’s Terminal 3 to strengthen their voice in numbers and rally for better pay. From the gathering, 41 protestors were arrested for blocking traffic and causing “civil disobedience”.
A tweet posted from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) alerted that there would be a scheduled “free speech” event prior to the occasion.
Workers’ within the fast food industry and from the airport itself have been expressing their discontent with working for low wages in recent times.
The pressure has been building up to a climax as workers are prepared to go on a strike with 99.7% voting this past August, to authorize one.
There are over 1,000 Members represented in the SFO food workers union, Unite Here – including bartenders, servers, cooks, and baristas.
They have been without an updated wage increase and contract for three years, making $17.05 an hour. And the workers are getting fed up.
A report from sfist.com says that one meal at the airport costs more than $20 which is higher than workers’ hourly wage.
Protestors formed picket lines and chanted in the organized rally as hundreds of people showed up to support the event. California’s State Senator Josh Becker and Assembly Member Ash Kalra were also in attendance.
They sat on the road outside Terminal 3 and demonstrated amongst their peers.
Signs held by chanters read statements like “One job should be enough” and “Who’s airport? Our airport”.
The event comes as many fast food workers are unable to sustain themselves on their positions within the food industry. Many are forced to supplement their incomes with additional jobs and the workers are exhausted from juggling multiple jobs to get them by, leaving them with little time to sleep.
This past July – the minimum wage in California was increased to $16.99/hour, which is still a far cry from $28/hour, the minimum amount regarded by experts that an individual would need in order to survive in San Francisco.
And that’s if you’re single with no dependents.
“I have to work two jobs to support my family, and I’m exhausted from living on four hours of sleep a day,” said Lucinda To, a lounge attendant at the United Club and a server at Cat Cora’s Kitchen at SFO.
“I’m making $16.99 per hour even though a meal at the airport costs at least $20. I hope this protest will show people that workers at SFO need a change, and we are ready to strike for it.”
With talk of a strike coming down the pipeline, the airport should be taking notice. The SFO has taken a longer time to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic while other airports across the country have come back at almost pre-pandemic levels.
If a strike goes into affect, and the food doesn’t get served, it could be the push they need to get noticed once and for all by the people at the top.
