Food Service Workers at Meta Austin Picket Employer, GM Culinary, Informing the Public GM Culinary Does Not Have a Union Contract with UNITE HERE
Workers are organizing for respect and job security; 5,500+ union tech food service workers have recently won historic second union contracts
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Austin, TX – GM Culinary workers and supporters picketed their employer’s cafeteria at Meta Austin today to inform the public that GM Culinary does not have a contract with UNITE HERE. The same workers have called for a fair process that allows workers to decide to unionize without interference from their employer. Hundreds of tech food service workers across the country have joined UNITE HERE through that same fair process, but GM Culinary has not yet agreed to one.
Workers are organizing for a voice on the job, respect, job security, and guaranteed raises and benefits that will let them provide for their families.
“I always go into work with the best attitude, but it’s like throwing a coin into the air: am I going to be treated with respect today or not?” said Patrizio Neri, a GM Culinary cook at Meta Austin. “Job security is also very important to me, because anything can be taken away from us at any time. I’m organizing because I like my job and I want to make it better: to have security, to have a contract, to be respected. The power we’ll have by all of us being together is going to make a huge impact.”
Recently UNITE HERE members employed by food service operators Flagship and Yarzin Sella at Meta cafeterias in six cities won new union contracts with a minimum of $7 an hour raises over the life of the contract and continued free family healthcare. Earlier this year, 4,500 UNITE HERE members in Google cafeterias – including the Google cafeteria operated by Guckenheimer that is across the street from Meta Austin – set that standard for all industry food service workers.
“Everyone can see how the tech industry is changing Austin. Workers are tired of getting less,” said Willy Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 23 and Texas Chapter President. “Tech food service workers from places like Silicon Valley have proven workers can win more for themselves, and now tech workers in Austin are organizing for the same opportunity.”
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UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 25,000 hospitality workers from universities and museums, to airport concessions, hotel and parking attendants – including hundreds of contracted food service workers at Google and Meta. Local 23 members are active in Georgia, Mississippi, Charlotte, Nashville, DC, Boise, Indiana, Denver, New Orleans, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Virginia