DALLAS – More than 8,000 Gate Gourmet workers who prepare, pack, and distribute food and drinks to planes at around 30 airports across the U.S. are threatening to strike next week.

According to the Associated Press, the workers' unions stated Friday that they had been bargaining for better pay and health insurance for the past six years. The unions' reasoning is interesting; in their view, airlines' prosperity should allow subcontractors such as Gate Gourmet to pay their employees more.

A more coherent analysis by organizations such as Unite Here and the Teamsters shows that just 25% of employees are covered by Gate Gourmet's health plan, with some  paid as little as US$13 per hour as of January 2024.

"Last Mile" Supply

Gate Gourmet is the world's largest independent provider of airline catering services.

With over 60 years delivering food and beverage alternatives tailored to any budget, the company offers a vast variety of culinary solutions in what the the industry calls the "last mile" supply.

In Season 5, Episode 5 of The Airways Podcast, we spoke to Jens Kuhlen, President for North America at Gategroup, parent company of Gate Gourmet, about the intricacies of the airline catering industry.

Gate Gourmet (Switzerland, 1992) began as a catering service for Swissair. Over the years, it has grown into a global company with the most comprehensive catering network in the aviation industry.