Mark Holguin enjoys his job with Flying Food Group (FFG) so much that he refused to go on strike when his union called for one due to failed contract negotiations.
FFG provides in-flight meals for a number of international airlines at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). From April 10 to May 5, employees of FFG were on strike, the company said.
However, a number of FFG employees who were satisfied with their compensation and benefits disagreed with their coworkers’ decision to strike and have felt the repercussions that have occurred as a result of it.
Flying Food Group General Manager Lucy Osoro
| LinkedIn
Holguin, who has been a driver for the company for six years, thinks the strike made no sense, so he didn’t take part in it.
“I worked. And the thing is, they wouldn’t vote on who liked it and who didn’t. They just striked,” he said. “And the benefit package was good. It was a nice raise, it was good benefits. They were going to give us a bonus. And, apparently, the union wanted more money, but they never asked us what we thought of the package they offered us. So I never got a say. So, I didn’t strike.
“I protested that they striked and didn’t give us a chance on voting on it,” Holguin said. “All they said was, ‘It was a bad package.’ And I guess there’s a lot of naive people that work there that believe them and didn’t take a minute to read what was going on.”
Holguin wonders why negotiations didn’t begin last year. Instead, the union didn’t start until this year, and rejected offers from FFG even as they got better and better, he said.
“And they said, ‘No, that’s not good enough. We’re gonna go on strike,’” Holguin said.
All that meant was that no one got a raise, he said. It’s one reason he thinks the strike was a poor idea that was badly handled.
“I kept working. It didn’t effect nobody,” he said.
According to FFG General Manager Lucy Osoro, the company’s most recent wage and insurance proposals are highly competitive, as their workers have the opportunity for an immediate 8.1% increase in base wages compared to prior contracts. Osoro says FFG has also proposed a second additional wage increase effective July 1, 2023. Employees also have the option of increasing their wages by $2.50 per hour depending on the health insurance plan they select.
Their final proposal was about the health clinic which FGG promised would provide free healthcare services to all employees and their families, according to the company.
FFG and RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago partnered on the new health clinic that recently opened in the airline catering company’s Los Angeles facility. The clinic is free for all FFG employees to use and is staffed by nurse practitioners and nurses from RUSH University. However, UNITE HERE! Local 11 has not agreed to allow union employees to access this clinic, which prevents a number of FFG employees from using its services.
According to FFG, the clinic is currently able to provide health education and coaching on variety of topics including high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep, diet and exercise, stress management, and cancer prevention. Hands-on care includes blood pressure screenings, weight screenings, blood sugar checks, comprehensive health assessment, and individualized health plan development. Additionally, the clinic can triage current health concerns of patients and connect them with the appropriate level of care.
Once the clinic’s nurse practitioners get final approval and a license from the state of California, they'll be able to provide diagnosis and treatment of chronic and episodic illness including things such as hypertension, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux, upper respiratory infection, chronic pain and more, FFG says. Other health services such as pap smears, cervical cancer tests, flu vaccinations, referrals to specialists, and prescriptions if indicated will also be offered.
Holguin said he has yet to visit the clinic but plans to do so this summer.
“Well, the thing is, I live in Santa Monica and the clinic’s in South Central, so I haven’t really had a chance to go there,” he said. “So I made an appointment for it in May, and they told me I can’t see the doctor ‘til July 17th, so I’ve got to wait two months before I see the doctor. I made an appointment, so I’m going to go there and see what it’s like because I need to get my physical and everything. I’m going to find out.”
He has never worked for a company that offered free clinic care, Holguin said.
“And the thing is, is Flying Foods and their package offers that you can pay for your own medical and choose your own medical,” Holguin said. “And that’s what I wanted to do.”