Local 2785 members prevail after 62-day strike
July 4, 2025
With their unshakable resolve, Flying Foods Group Local 2785 members have won a robust new contract that leads the industry after outlasting management in a 62-day strike.
Teamsters 2785 members were forced to walk off the job in March after management attempted to dramatically increase their health care costs by proposing a plan that included high deductibles.
Joint Council 7 Teamsters and labor allies rallied with Flying Foods Teamsters on their picket line at San Francisco Airport.
“We sat on that strike line for 24 hours a day for 62 days because we believed in our fight,” said Flying Foods Group Teamster Kevin Saldana.
Prior to the strike, the all-immigrant workforce, which delivers meals for major air carriers at San Francisco International Airport, were the lowest-paid airport caterers in the area. Now, their total package exceeds the previous gold standard for the region.
“It was our solidarity and our determination not to break that won us the deal we deserved. This victory belongs to every one of us who never gave up,” Saldana said.
“Flying Food Group members honored the strike line — not a single person crossed,” said Local 2785 Principal Officer Joseph Cilia.
“Their unity, clear communication and loyalty, combined with enhanced strike benefits provided by the I.B.T., healthcare options though Covered California, and support from Teamsters across Joint Council 7, proved that standing together works.”
Thanks to a Teamster-backed California bill passed into law in 2023, workers who lose employer-sponsored health insurance due to a labor dispute, such as a strike or lockout can enroll in a health plan through Covered California.
Additionally, the enhanced strike benefits approved by the I.B.T. General Executive Board provided assurance that 1.4 million Teamsters stood with these members for the long haul.
“This wasn’t just a strike, it was a demonstration of what solidarity can achieve,” Cilia said.
