United's Catering Workers Unionized. Now Their Jobs Might Be Outsourced.

The hospitality union Unite Here says the airline is trying to avoid a union contract after receiving billions in rescue money from the government.

  In 2018, United Airlines’ catering workers in five cities voted to unionize by an overwhelming margin. Two and a half years later, they still have not secured a contract, and the airline may outsource their jobs. United has issued a request for bids from contractors interested in taking on the airline’s kitchen work at its hubs in Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Honolulu and Newark. The company has not committed to requiring any potential contractors to retain the workers or to bargain with their union, though it says it would work to prioritize the current workforce for new positions.