Councilmembers Address Wage Theft, Other Conditions for In-Flight Catering Workers at LAX

LOS ANGELES – Councilmembers Tim McOsker and Traci Park introduced a motion May 5 seeking a report on workplace conditions for the catering employees who provide in-flight airline meals at Los Angeles International Airport.

On April 10, the employees of Flying Food Group, who provide in-flight meals for several airlines, launched an unfair labor practice strike demanding that they have been underpaid and in danger of losing their health benefits.

“Our airline catering workers go above and beyond to make sure that visitors feel welcome and comfortable in Los Angeles, but haven’t been given the respect from their own employer to feel welcome or comfortable at their workplace,” said Councilmember McOsker. “Our city’s laws are very clear about what our workforce should be paid and if a major company like Flying Food Group is going to ignore this, the city should right the wrong and step in to protect workers.”

Per the city’s Living Wage Ordinance, workers are supposed to earn $18.04 an hour, the minimum wage (including health benefits) offered to Los Angeles World Airports contract workers. Furthermore, employees without health benefits should earn a base wage of $23.81 hourly.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported Flying Food is supposed to contribute $5.77 an hour toward workers’ health care coverage, but the company has opted to provide its own coverage with a contribution of $4.50 an hour, according to the worker’s union, UNITE HERE Local 11.

The Flying Food Group workers have also alleged to the labor commissioner that the company violated California’s return-to-work law, SB 93, by hiring new employees instead of recalling more senior members of the workforce that were laid off due to COVID-19.

The McOsker-Park motion requests that the Bureau of Contract Administration, which enforces the Living Wage Ordinance, with the help of the Los Angeles World Airport and the city attorney report back on any enforcement actions taken to Flying Food Group, on alleged wage violations and any pending enforcement actions.

The motion was seconded by Councilmember Heather Hutt and will go to the Economic and Community Development committee.