Airline caterers go on strike, affecting travellers on flights via Pearson airport

About 800 airline food service staff at Toronto’s Pearson airport went on strike Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers without meals. Gate Gourmet employees voted 96% against an offer from the Swiss-owned travel catering company on Monday night, Teamsters Canada said. The workers cook, package and deliver food and beverages to planes for in-flight service. The job action, which kicked off a minute past midnight, affects travellers on Air Canada, WestJet and a majority of flights to and from the country’s busiest airport. “Our members are trying to survive this cost of living crisis and support their families through these difficult times. That’s what this is about,” said Martin Cerqua, lead negotiator for the union local. He said employees, many of whom earn between $18 and $20 per hour, are asking for a living wage and earnings on par with workers across the country. For example, Gate Gourmet employees who unload tray carts and wash dishware and cutlery at the Vancouver airport make $6 per hour more than their co-workers at Pearson, he said. “We’ve fallen so far behind,” Cerqua said from the picket line on the fringes of the airport. “It’s a dirty, difficult, physically demanding job.” Gate Gourmet is the largest airline catering company operating out of Toronto, with clients that include Air Canada, WestJet, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.Owned by Gategroup, it operates in more than 135 locations in 33 countries, according to its website. Those figures include eight airports in Canada. The caterer said its latest offer was “fair and market-competitive,” laying out a 12% pay raise over three years.Current wages range between $17.69 and $25.10 per hour, said Elaine Dray, Gategroup’s head of human resources in North America. Rather than considering only wage disparities, she said the company looks at overall compensation. Air Canada said short-haul flights will be most affected.<br/>