Food Service Workers Picket Flagship Cafeteria at Meta’s San Francisco Office to Demand New Union Contract
Workers struggle to afford basic expenses like rent and food; UNITE HERE Local 2 members are in contract negotiations with Flagship, calling for the same economic gains contracted workers at Google have won
San Francisco, CA – Over 100 Flagship food service workers and their supporters picketed their employer’s cafeteria at the Meta San Francisco office today, calling for a new union contract with significant raises.
Flagship workers in San Francisco participated in a survey with other employees of Meta’s food service contractors Flagship and Yarzin Sella. They say the aftermath of skyrocketing inflation has left them living paycheck to paycheck, being late on rent, and skipping meals because they can’t afford groceries. According to a UNITE HERE survey of 72% (788) of union food service workers at these contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, New York, Washington, DC, and Cambridge, MA, many reported serious economic insecurity during the past year.
- 74% lacked money to cover rent, mortgage, or other housing costs, while 66% had been late on rent and 12% stayed in an abusive living situation because they did not have the money to move.
- 55% lacked money to cover food for themselves or their household, with 33% reporting they skipped meals because they did not have money to buy food.
- 42% worked a second job.
- 71% of workers surveyed had less than $500 on hand in case of an emergency.
“My husband and I live with my in-laws right now, and we’re trying to save up to get our own apartment, but we are stretched financially. We also have an almost two-year-old baby girl, and the expenses for our family of three really add up,” said Jordan Hill, a prep cook for Flagship at Meta San Francisco. “We have been looking into childcare, and the cost of it is daunting: we received one quote of $3,400 per month. The way things are now, my daughter always gets to eat, but I don’t. I work for Flagship at Meta, and I feel that I should be able to afford groceries and my own apartment. We deserve a good contract, with better wages, job protection, and respect most of all.”
Around 1,000 workers in Menlo Park, Sunnyvale, San Francisco, Fremont, New York, Seattle, Washington D.C., and Cambridge, MA, are in negotiations with Flagship and Yarzin Sella for new union contracts, calling for the same economic gains that other contracted tech food service workers have won. Existing contracts are being extended on a daily basis, but extensions are unlikely to continue if agreements are not reached soon.
Recently, more than 4,500 UNITE HERE members employed by Compass, Guckenheimer, and Sodexo at Google cafeterias nationwide won historic second union contracts that set a standard for all industry food service workers, including a minimum raise of $7 an hour over the life of the contract, continued free family healthcare, protections against layoffs, gender identity protections, and more.
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UNITE HERE Local 2 is the hospitality workers’ union in the San Francisco Bay Area, representing over 15,000 workers in hotels, restaurants, food services, Oakland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and more.