Meals, beverages on some flights could be impacted by potential strike involving Toronto Pearson airport food service workers

The union representing workers who prepare meals for in-flight service for multiple airlines at Toronto Pearson International Airport says staff could walk off the job as early as next week, a move that they say could leave many flights without food or beverages. Teamsters Local Union 647, which represents more than 800 workers with airline catering company Gate Gourmet, said employees could go on strike as early as April 16. “We are in a cost-of-living crisis, but Gate Gourmet is ignoring their employees’ families’ basic needs and won’t agree to pay workers a living wage. We’re going on strike unless this company steps up to the plate and finally acknowledges how expensive life has gotten,” lead union negotiator and president of Teamsters Local Union 647, Martin Cerqua, said in a written statement released Tuesday. In a statement, a spokesperson for Gate Gourmet Canada said negotiations are ongoing with the union about wages and benefits and safety. "Gate Gourmet Canada continues to engage in good faith discussions with the Union to make improvements for our employees in Toronto across wages and benefits, as we have in the past, to ensure we continue to meet market standards. Safety is our number one priority in the workplace, and we continuously evaluate staffing levels and operational procedures to ensure alignment with business demands and mitigate the risk of injury," the statement read.<br/>