Airline food company ordered to pay living wages to employees

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

An airline catering company with operations at Los Angeles International Airport has failed to pay "living wages" to 271 employees, dating back to 2010, the city of Los Angeles said in a letter that calls for retroactive restitution.

The order from the city's Office of Contract Compliance against Flying Food Group of Chicago comes only weeks after about 100 company employees protested at LAX, where the company serves Air France, China Airlines and Virgin Australia, among other carriers.

The company was also the target of a recent lawsuit from workers, who say they are not being paid the equivalent of roughly $15 an hour in combined wages and benefits called for by the Los Angeles ordinance that requires city contractors to pay a living wage.

... The letter ordered the back wages paid within ten days of the company receiving the letter and threatened to end all contracts with the city and ban the company from holding a city lease or license for up to three years if the company did not comply.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airline-food-company-ordered-to-pay-living-wages-to-employees-20150526-story.html

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Previously on DU:
Flying Food Workers Deserve the LA Living Wage! E action! (April 8)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11176530

[SoapBox]

1. Good!

These folks work really, really hard...especially those that have to service the aircraft galleries.

[Phlem]

2. 330 views and only 16 rec's. C'mon people, this is what it's all about!

Living wages! Totally deserves as many rec's per view.

[Populist_Prole]

3. Waiting for the corporatist trolls here to bemoan the effects on air fares

Because we're aparrently all "consumers" instead of citizens.

I digress, but I just couldn't resist taking another crack at the 3rd-wayer jerkweeds here. Good to hear this though and it'll be interesting to see the reaction and result: How the sky won't fall and how the extra money in the hands of the real "job creators" will boost demand.

[seabeckind]

4. Sounds like an excellent excuse to do some cost cutting

to make sure we maintain profit levels.

Cut the food quality more. Reduce portion sizes. Increase worker requirements.

You know, the usual.

Oh, and because the cuts are successful, give the managers a bonus.

Meanwhile the airlines will add some seats, cut some flights, eliminate some food on flights, even though the cost wasn't passed on to them.