Shared from the 4/20/2018 Houston Chronicle eEdition

LABOR

Catering workers at United put unionization on the menu

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Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle

Ellen Bryan-Hill displays an employee of the month award from United. Catering workers are seeking at least $12 an hour.

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Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

United Airlines catering workers gathered on Thursday to protest their wages and rally for unionization.

The plane is ready to depart as crew members run through the inventory one final time: Fuel? Check. Passengers? Check. Food?

A well-fed traveler is a happy traveler, asentiment understood by the United Airlines employees tasked with preparing, packaging and delivering that food. Now they’re seeking something already granted to 80 percent of United employees.

They want union representation.

“The plane cannot go without food,” United employee Ellen Bryan-Hill said. “It needs a pilot and food. And we’re the ones working harder in the kitchen and making less money.”

Bryan-Hill, who earns $11.15 an hour, has worked at United for 13 years. Her union counterparts employed as ramp workers or customer service agents, by comparison, make $30.47 an hour after 10 years with the company.

The catering employees seek wages of at least $12 an hour, and they want to join the Unite Here union. They began collecting signatures to authorize a nationwide election in January, with more than 2,000 employees across the country showing their support. Management has pushed back.

Signs appeared in the cafeteria, saying travel privileges aren’t guaranteed should contract negotiations begin. Flat-screen TVs appeared, airing an anti-union video.

The airline counters that it pays competitive wages based on the work group and type of work performed. Pertaining to signs in the catering workplace, the company said it’s providing basic facts regarding union representation so employees can make an informed decision.

In a statement, United said it is “committed to treating all of our employees fairly, providing them with competitive compensation and industry-leading benefits and privileges, and creating a safe, supportive work environment, whether or not they are represented by a union.”

Bryan-Hill and other catering workers took to the streets Thursday outside Bush Intercontinental Airport to protest their wages and working conditions. They turned Home Depot buckets into drums, chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, union busting’s got to go.” They waved signs saying “United Airlines doesn’t care about Houston” as trucks honked and firetrucks blared sirens.

Other United unions were there, too. Sarah Monderoy Garcia, with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 811, was encouraging the catering workers. She recalled the multiple attempts it took for ramp workers to join a union. It’s worth the effort, she told the protesters.

Companies have the right to communicate their stance on unions, said Alfonso Kennard Jr., managing shareholder at Kennard Law who represents employees in labor and employment matters. He formerly represented the management side and said benefits aren’t typically lost when employees join a union.

“Very rarely does a company go backward and eliminate benefits employees already had,” he said.

And the employers have an advantage during this time frame, he said. They can spread their message in the workplace and during work time. The union, on the other hand, has to host meetings outside the workplace.

“Any company or any entity is going to take efforts to prevent their workforce from becoming unionized,” Kennard said. “Once a workforce is unionized, it takes a lot of power away from the company, from everyday decisions on discipline to negotiating pay structures and benefits.”

Bryan-Hill would like to receive full-length breaks. Because United is focused on improving on-time flight performance, she said, catering workers often have their breaks cut short. Safety is another concern, she said, recalling that she once broke her foot when a cart toppled over.

But her biggest grievance is pay. Last year, her salary was raised to $10.88, up from $10.87. She received a larger raise this year, but it’s still not enough to cover her $800-a-month apartment and general living expenses. She sells clothes from a catalog and Nacatamales, the Nicaraguan version of tamales, to augment her income.

“For me to survive, I need to do something on the side,” she said.

Extra money would have been especially helpful last year, when Bryan-Hill went through a divorce and then took on 5 feet of water during Hurricane Harvey. United Airlines provided her some money to help rebuild, but higher wages would have helped with the ongoing recovery.

She and her colleagues are waiting for the National Mediation Board to set a date when the roughly 2,700 United catering workers nationwide, including 800 in Houston, will vote to decide if they want to join the union.

But this has been delayed. United Airlines said the mediation board is investigating potential fraud and misrepresentation by Unite Here when soliciting the union authorization cards.

“We believe the union’s allegations against United Airlines and its management are baseless, and we look forward to hearing the results of the National Mediation Board’s investigation,” the company said. “United Airlines respects our employees’ rights to decide whether they want to be represented by a union without pressure, coercion or other unlawful interference.”

Unite Here disputed allegations that catering employees misrepresented themselves.

The union recently brought catering workers to a City Council meeting, asking officials to pressure United into offering better wages when negotiating upcoming projects.

One woman, in particular, caught the attention of Mayor Sylvester Turner. He expressed shock upon learning she earned $11.07 after 29 years with the company.

“I have a problem with that, OK?” he said during the meeting. “I have a big problem with that. United can do better, and United should do better. And United will do better.” andrea.rumbaugh@chron.com twitter.com/andrearumbaugh

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