Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 17, at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport have reached a tentative contract agreement that averts a potential strike during the busy Thanksgiving travel week.
“We have a tentative agreement that averts the HMS Host Thanksgiving Week strike. It is an historic agreement that includes the HIGHEST wage increases ever won at the airport,” the union said in a statement. HMS Host operates dining venues at dozens of airports across the country.
The deal comes after more than a year of bargaining, according to the union, and covers approximately 250 workers. The deal includes a tip line for fast food and barista workers for the first time; a higher tipped benefit rate; historic wage increases for cooks, utility workers and engineers; and access to affordable dependent health insurance.
“This agreement is a long time coming,” said Victor Arreole, a cook who works for HMSHost. “We fought for more than a year to win back what we lost during the pandemic, and we’re finally getting the wages and benefits our families deserve. This contract is going to change lives.”