Ontario Airport Concession Workers Strike in Search of New Contract and Pay Raise

Sep. 29—Retail workers at Ontario International Airport walked out on strike this week after months of labor negotiations with The Hudson Group that have led nowhere, a union official said.

According to Susan Minato, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, workers were tired of working full time and not making a livable wage.

"What used to be a decent wage is no longer decent," said Minato. "And so people are standing up for what they need for their family."

Workers walked out Wednesday, Sept. 27, Minato said.

A month prior, employees of The Hudson Group, a travel retailer based in the United States and Canada, voted unanimously to authorize a strike as a tool in labor negotiations that the union says led nowhere.

In a news release, the union said the previous contracts with Hudson Group expired three years ago and negotiations stalled in January 2023.

Crystal Delgado, a cashier for the Hudson Group for the past five years, had been on the picket line for three days as of Friday, Sept. 29. She and a group of fellow workers marched in Terminal 4 from 3 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday.

"It's been an experience of being able to fight for what we deserve," Delgado said. "We haven't had a new contract in about three years ... (and we're) fighting for fair wages for all our employees."

Delgado said she and many of her coworkers have not received a raise from Hudson Group other than what the state has mandated as minimum wage. She said she earns $15.50 an hour at the airport and that it is no longer a livable salary.

"We are the lowest paid company in the airport," said Delgado. "And there's no way to make a living or, to say, pay rent if my rent was to go up any higher."

Airport officials are unable to weigh in on the labor dispute, as negotiations are between Hudson and their workers, according to ONT spokesperson Steve Lambert.

"We support good wages for all workers, and hope this dispute can be resolved quickly to the benefit of all involved," Lambert wrote in an email Friday. "While we do not anticipate an interruption in customer service, we are hopeful that the two sides can come together to ensure the best of all possible outcomes for Hudson, its employees and the millions of passengers who have made ONT their airport of choice."

In January, another group of workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11 at ONT won protections from the Ontario International Airport Authority when the airport switched from its previous concessions company Delaware North to SSP America. After workers rallied to ask for a worker retention policy, the board voted to add a policy to the new contract.

Delgado said she and her coworkers are asking for wages that keep up with inflation and the continued rise in the cost of living in Southern California.

"We're trying to fight the good fight," said Delgado. "You know how they say happy workers creates better productivity in work? We just want a fair amount. We're not asking for anything else. I mean, just a livable wage in order to get by in life."

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