Airline catering company Flying Food Group (FFG) recently developed a comprehensive healthcare plan with better benefits than those offered by UNITE HERE!, but the union has prohibited FFG from making the plan available to its employees, according to an FFG representative.

"During negotiations, Flying Food Group proposed a top-tier healthcare plan to employees. Our plan empowers employees to choose their preferred doctor at their preferred hospital, and, unlike the union plan, it does not force employees to use a single hospital without the benefits of a larger network. Unfortunately, the union rejected Flying Food Group’s healthcare plan, and our employees currently remain on the union plan," said FFG Los Angeles Airline Facility (LAI) General Manager Lucy Osoro.

"Flying Food Group continues to believe that our plan will provide employees with superior healthcare and better options," said Osoro.

Employees under the union's ‘Legacy Plan’ are not eligible for coverage for about five months – assuming they worked at least sixty hours per month for the first three months. Union employees under the ‘Hotel Plan’ are not eligible for coverage for about seven months. However, FFG’s healthcare eligibility begins on the first of the month following 60 days of employment, said FFG.

The Union also currently prohibits FFG from offering its new insurance options to its employees, according to FFG. UNITE HERE! currently prohibits FFG from offering its new insurance options to its employees because of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) which mandates that ALL union employees at LAI remain on UH’s plan, leaving employees with no choice.

Under the FFG plan, people can choose hospitals and doctors based on where they live, the quality of care, and accessibility.

FFG’s most recent proposal to UH was to allow employees to stay on UH health insurance if they would like to, but also have the option to decline UH’s insurance and select FFG’s health insurance instead. If an employee declined UH’s health insurance, FFG would give that employee a $2.50 per hour wage increase and allow them to make the right choice of insurance for themselves or their family, FFG said.

FFG is looking to provide more options for its employees, not fewer, and the company received very positive feedback from employees when it announced this proposal, FFG said.