First-Ever Contract for Newark HMSHost Workers

November 19, 2007 300 HMSHost workers at Newark Liberty International Airport ratified their first union contract. Highlights of the 3-year agreement include regular raises and respect-and-dignity language. Workers will also benefit from a reduced health care premium, with decreasing payments in 2008 and 2009. Workers in Newark will also receive eight paid holidays, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Easter.

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Port Authority Retail Workers Rally At Newark

Bennie Farrar speaks out about job security.

September 18, 2007 HDS Retail, HMSHost, Creative Host, and Delaware North workers at Newark, JFK and LaGuardia International Airports rallied at Newark on Tuesday for better working conditions and job security at Port Authority of New York and New Jersey airports. HDS worker Taicha Belot addressed the crowd about HDS workers' continuing efforts to organize for better working conditions, and urged the Port Authority to resolve the five-month public labor dispute at HDS' airport locations.

Port Authority concessions workers at other companies who have already won improvements on the job expressed their support of the HDS workers, and spoke to the public about the risk of losing their own quality jobs to non-union operators as the Port Authority continues to bring new stores to all three of its airports. Bennie Farrar, an HMS Host worker in Newark, said, "There is constant store turnover at these airports. A company could come in and replace us at anytime. It's scary because I've got a family to support, and it's hard to find another job in Newark that pays me enough to survive.

HDS Workers Go On One-Day Strike

On July 26, 2007, airport workers at HDS Retail North America (“HDS”) at Newark and JFK International Airports conducted a one-day strike after months of organizing for better working conditions to no avail. Standing in solidarity with workers was Newark City Council member Luis Quintana, who spoke at the Port Authority meeting on their behalf.

Instead of stocking and staffing Relay News and Virgin Records outlets at the two airports, HDS workers gathered at the Port Authority and urged the Port Authority to enforce its Labor Harmony policy and require HDS to resolve its labor disputes at the airport.

HDS workers voted on July 9 to call for a boycott of their employer. Workers are currently reaching out to the public and travelers asking them to join the boycott, both at the airport and online at www.rejectrelay.info.

HMSHost Workers In Atlanta Celebrate First Union Contract

On Friday, March 30, 2007, HMSHost workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ratified their first-ever union contract. Highlights of the agreement, covering 800 workers, include first-ever across the board wage increases, decreases in employee health insurance costs, additional paid time off and increases in paid meal reimbursements.

Roger Craft, an HMSHost utility worker, explained: “Now we have the power to enforce our rights...We also will want to do our jobs better because we will feel more involved in our job.” Glen Darby, another HMSHost worker, added, “I voted yes because the terms are very good and the money is very good.

New Contract for HMSHost Workers in Detroit Will Significantly Lower Health Care Costs

350 HMSHost workers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport ratified a new 3-year agreement with guaranteed raises every six months, and significant reduction in health insurance costs in the third year, especially for children and families. Other highlights include more rights on the job, including additional protection from terminations based on reports from secret shoppers, and job protection for immigrant workers.

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Lina Torres, HMSHost Phoenix: "Here in Phoenix, we knew that if we stood together and fought, we could protect our hours. But, it was not easy. We had to stand up to management every day, and stick together. Eventually they heard us, and we made the changes we needed.

"We won:
• Guaranteed hours
• Scheduling based on seniority
• Paid breaks
• If we get sent home, we are paid"