Gate Gourmet workers at Toronto's Pearson Airport are on strike

Some flights may leave Toronto Pearson International Airport with “little or no food” after cabin crew workers walked off the job on Tuesday, the union representing the employees said.

Teamsters Local Union 647, which represents more than 800 workers at airline catering company Gate Gourmet, said it began striking at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday after workers rejected the company's latest offer.

“Our members have accepted wage freezes during the pandemic to help this company survive. Now, their managers are offering to raise wages to 89 cents an hour and brag about how profitable their operations at Pearson have been,” Martin Cerqua, the union's lead negotiator and president of Local Union 647, said in a written statement.

Workers were seen on a picket line outside Gate Gourmet on East Britannia Road in Mississauga Tuesday morning.

In a statement released Monday, the union said the labor dispute would be “extremely disruptive,” noting that Air Canada would be “the most affected by the strike.”

Air Canada told CP24 on Monday that it has contingency plans in place, but did not elaborate.

The union said other airlines affected by the strike include United Airlines, Delta Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Air India, Aero Mexico, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Jetlines and WestJet.

Last week, WestJet said it had taken steps to mitigate a potential strike.

“…our catering team has been proactively preparing contingency plans to minimize the impact on WestJet's operations in Toronto to ensure we can continue to serve food and beverage to our guests on board,” a CP24 spokesperson said.

In a statement sent Monday, Gate Gourmet said operations in Canada and worldwide will be “not affected.”

“Gate Gourmet Canada urges our valued employees to vote in favor of the final proposal (presented to them at the Union's request) that addresses their desires for wages, benefits and working conditions in the department, including a 12% pay raise. more than three years,” the report said.

“In our work in Toronto, we have developed contingency plans with airline customers to minimize any impact to them and their passengers.”