Workers at the bustling Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are now armed with a new labor contract, netting them pay raises, pensions, and protection against job automation, after HMS Host, a prominent concessionaire at the airport, finalized an agreement with Unite Here Local 11, the union announced. According to a report by ABC15, the deal involves more than 20 food and beverage outlets, including popular spots such as Starbucks and Barrio Cafe, and sets a regional precedent for hospitality worker agreements.
The vote to ratify the four-year contract, which includes progressive terms championed by the union, went down on April 25, as workers like Lucia Salinas, a long-time HMS employee, are looking at a brighter future, "We’re excited and proud to have reached an agreement that is going to change my life," Salinas shared with Phoenix Business Journal, expressing relief at the prospect of retirement bolstered by a newly secured pension after over two decades of service.
Furthermore, the amicable settlement arrived following a period of tangible unrest, with the threat of a strike hanging in the air after HMS Host workers authorized potential walkouts in mid-March, a move that highlighted mounting tensions within the industry as employees sought better working conditions.
But the ripple effect of this agreement is already causing waves across the tarmac; SSP America—the airport's other major concession operator, now finds itself in the hot seat, with their workers yearning for similar benefits and calling for the company to match the new standards. "What they have won is the new standard for Sky Harbor Airport, and it's time for SSP to step up," Meschelle Hornstein, a server with SSP America, explained in a statement obtained by Phoenix Business Journal.
The development comes as Phoenix Sky Harbor, stewarded by the city, has been sharpening its hospitality profile, inviting local restaurant brands into its terminals—a strategy that has garnished the airport with accolades, including a nod from the Wall Street Journal as the best in the nation.
