PHOENIX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport restaurant workers who went on strike last week will return to work on Thursday, the union said. The strike by some HMSHost airport workers began on November 22nd after members of Unite Here Local 11 approved the strike earlier this month with 97% of the vote. Members seek salary increases, affordable health insurance, a company-paid pension, and tip protection from HMSHost, the largest concession operator at the state’s largest airport. The union said workers would return not only to work but also to the negotiating table after the strike that went through a busy Thanksgiving holiday at the airport. “Our intention with our strike was, after four years of negotiations, to draw more attention to the company’s stinginess at a time when the company would be forced to recognize the value of our workforce most – Thanksgiving,” Victoria Stahl, op Barista in Terminal 4, according to a press release. “We have done that and are now ready to return to the negotiating table.” HMSHost previously said it was offering a “generous compensation package” that included a 12% pay rise and accused the union of using vacation travel time as leverage in negotiations. Unite Here Local 11, a hospitality workers union in Arizona and Southern California with more than 32,000 members, said in the press release that it has been in negotiations with HMSHost since 2017. HMSHost operates 12 concession brands in Sky Harbor, including Starbucks, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Olive & Ivy, SanTan Brewing, and Zinburger. Follow @ KTAR923 We’d like to hear from you. Do you have a story idea or a tip? Forward it to the KTAR news team here.
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