T.F. Green airport food workers authorize strike over stalled contract

Seventy-two food and beverage workers at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport have given Grove Bay Hospitality Group a hard deadline: settle a new contract by June 22 or face a strike. The June 15 vote was overwhelming, with about 98% of the bargaining unit backing strike authorization after working under an expired agreement since Aug. 1, 2025.

For the cooks, servers, cashiers and hosts who keep airport concessions moving, the fight is about what hits a paycheck, not just contract language. Union members say several workers have not seen a raise since before the last agreement expired. At T.F. Green, that means the gap between airport traffic and airport pay is widening for workers who already deal with long shifts, uneven rushes and the constant pressure of serving travelers on a tight schedule.

The wage structure makes the dispute especially sharp in the dining and bar side of the terminal. Servers at T.F. Green reportedly make about $4.19 to $5.30 an hour plus tips, while hosts and cashiers make $16.50 an hour. That leaves gratuities and hourly rates doing very different kinds of work on the same payroll, and it makes any delay in a new agreement a direct threat to household budgets in Warwick and beyond. Unite Here Local 26, which represents the workers, says the contract needs to catch up with rent, groceries and gas.

Rep. David Morales publicly backed the workers on June 16, saying, "T.F. Green is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States." He also tied the dispute to rising rents and the need for a fair contract with Unite Here Local 26. The political attention lands at a moment when Rhode Island’s airport system is pushing growth stories of its own. Rhode Island Airport Corporation says T.F. Green is the fastest-growing major airport in the country for the second year in a row, with passengers up 11% and seat capacity up 10% over the 12 months ending October 2025.

That growth has only sharpened the labor stakes inside the terminal. The airport launched nonstop service to Praia, Cabo Verde, on May 4, adding more traffic and more pressure on concession workers already trying to hold the line under an expired contract. UNITE HERE says it represents 50,000 airport concessions and airline catering workers at more than 60 airports in the U.S. and Canada, putting the T.F. Green fight in a broader industry push for better pay and more secure contracts. For the workers on the floor, the message is simple: if the airport can grow, their wages should too.