By Ben Rooney
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — With a major storm bearing down, food workers at San Francisco International Airport went on a two-day strike Thursday over a labor contract dispute.
The union that represents restaurant workers at the airport, Unite Here Local 2, said nearly 1,000 workers walked off the job in protest of a management proposal that would freeze their health care payments.
In a statement, the union urged anyone flying out of SFO to bring their own food. A spokesperson for the airport noted that concession stands and other retail locations are still selling food.
The strike comes as Northern California braces for a major storm, with hurricane force winds expected to hit the Bay Area. About 110 flights have already been canceled at San Francisco’s main airport, according to Flightaware.com.
According to the union, the proposal would result in workers paying as much as $4,200 per year for health care coverage. The workers say that’s unacceptable given the high cost of living in San Francisco.
“We’re on strike because it is so difficult for our families to make ends meet in the Bay Area,” said Jesse Johnson, a bartender at an airport bar, who is also a union organizer. “When restaurants slash our health care, or deny us job security, we just can’t get by.”
The union says restaurant owners bring in nearly $200 million per year. But the average restaurant worker earned just $24,124 last year.
“The restaurants at SFO bank huge money from airline passengers,” said Johnson. “We’re out here fighting for our familes.”
The-CNN-Wire
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