Flying Food Group employee on Unite Here benefits: 'The insurance the union provides is very poor quality'

Employees discovered that the company continued paying funds to UNITE HERE Local 11 for insurance, even for workers who had never been enrolled or no longer used the coverage. Nazario explained, "What they didn’t know is that even if they don’t use it, the company still keeps paying that money for their medical insurance." This situation has created resentment as workers see money being spent on benefits they cannot access while proposals for direct company-provided insurance are blocked by the union.

During an August 26 contract negotiation, one employee testified about being forced onto Medi-Cal because union insurance failed to cover necessary treatment. He said, "I had used the union insurance for a treatment, but it didn’t cover it, so I had to switch to Medi-Cal." The response from Local 11’s lawyers was reportedly an attempt to silence him, demonstrating what some perceive as the union's unwillingness to address its insurance failures and discouraging workers from speaking out.

Nazario works as a dishwasher and has been an outspoken critic of UNITE HERE Local 11’s handling of workplace issues and employee benefits. In her interview with Sky Industry News, she explained that she decertified from the union in early 2023 but still had to pay dues due to job-related union requirements. She has testified in arbitration hearings and attended contract negotiations where she consistently emphasized that union-managed insurance was "very poor quality" and misrepresented as being provided by the union rather than the company.