Food workers at Vancouver airport hold strike for higher wages

The union representing food service workers at Vancouver International Airport says more than 200 people have walked off the job in a push for higher wages.

A statement from Unite Here Local 40 says food attendants, servers, cooks, dishwashers and other workers set up picket lines at 4:30 a.m. PT for what's described as a "one-day strike action."

"We go go, go, go, go," said Alisa Louise Richard, a worker at Lift Bar & Grill who is on the picket line. "I've never seen cooks work harder in my life of 20 years of serving. These people deserve to be paid a real living wage."

The workers are employed by SSP Canada, which operates 13 of the 41 food and beverage outlets at YVR, according to a statement from the airport authority.

It says 11 out of SSP's 13 locations are closed as a result of the strike.

The move ahead of the Canada Day long weekend comes after the union says workers turned down SSP's latest offer as they negotiate their first collective agreement.

A statement from the company says SSP Canada has "negotiated in good faith," it's "proud of the offer" it put on the table and it hopes the parties can successfully conclude the negotiations as soon as possible. In a separate statement, the airport authority says it doesn't play a role in the negotiations, but it encourages both sides to get back to the bargaining table.

According to Unite Here Local 40, airport concession workers are among the lowest-paid staff at the airport, and many of them are immigrant women.

"We just want to let YVR know and SSP know that we're here for the good fight and we work really hard," Richard said, adding that workers will walk out again if SSP doesn't meet their demands.

The airport is a certified living-wage employer 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 B.C. — the benchmark the airport authority says it uses. The airport authority says its living wage policy applies to direct service providers, which doesn't cover SSP because it is a commercial tenant and operates its own businesses. 

"We know many businesses at the airport pay a living wage, and some do not," the airport authority said in a statement. "The decision to do so is up to each organization."

The union says they want the airport to expand this policy to support more workers.

Unite Here Local 40 also said the airport authority is attempting to limit workers' ability to picket inside the airport. The union says it is asking the Labour Board to direct YVR to permit this activity, which it says was allowed during a previous strike action in 2010. 

The airport authority said in its statement that they have designated areas surrounding the terminals for demonstrations "to maintain safe, secure and efficient operations" and that workers have been directed to Chester Johnson Park, which is located near the entrance to the Canada Line station and a parkade.