Unite Here Local 1 has distributed flyers to Flying Food Group (FFG) workers in Chicago, alleging that 47% of FFG employees at O'Hare Airport lack health insurance. Nicholas Rondeau, Vice President at FFG, has refuted this claim.
According to Rondeau, in a letter addressed to Air France, the allegations made by Unite Here Local 1 regarding the lack of healthcare coverage for workers at the company’s ORD facility are "a false allegation." He said, "all employees of Flying Food are offered health care coverage in compliance with the Affordable Care Act." Rondeau explained that employees have the option to opt out or receive coverage through a spouse and highlighted that the company provides "three medical plans with different coverage options, including the ability to cover the employee’s spouse and children."
Rondeau further commented on the situation, suggesting that "this flyer was designed to pressure Flying Food to agree to the Unite Here health plan in collective bargaining." The union is pushing for Flying Food to transition its employees to their health plan. However, FFG has resisted due to reported issues such as poor service and limited access under Unite Here Local 11’s plan at its Inglewood, California facility. Rondeau mentioned complaints about denied care and enrollment failures under this plan and cited an incident where an employee allegedly faced retaliation for not joining a strike.