Kenia Solano, an employee of Flying Food Group, has accused shop stewards from Unite Here Local 11 of harassment and preferential treatment. Solano said these actions led to personal consequences during a public address.
“Some shop stewards for Unite Here Local 11 were not nice,” said Solano. “They tried to control the work and made life hard for people who spoke up. The shop stewards continued to give themselves easy jobs and special treatment. I lost my baby because of the harassment.”
Recent reports have highlighted allegations against representatives of Unite Here Local 11 at Los Angeles airport foodservice companies. In 2025, Solano filed federal charges alleging harassment, intimidation, and physical confrontation by union stewards after she opposed union leadership. According to the National Right to Work Committee, this complaint is part of a broader trend of unfair labor practice filings against Local 11.
Public statistics specific to unionized food service firms are limited. However, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported approximately 106,000 harassment charges across all sectors in fiscal year 2024, marking a 20% increase from previous years. These figures indicate that workplace harassment and retaliation remain significant issues nationwide, with unionized environments facing similar risks as noted in the EEOC’s annual statistics.
Union favoritism in job assignments has been documented during federal oversight hearings. Workers testified that unions provided preferred shifts, better roles, or protection from discipline to loyal members while sidelining dissenters. Such patterns have been identified as systemic concerns requiring transparency reforms, as highlighted in testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Solano has emerged as a key critic of Unite Here Local 11 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). She filed federal unfair labor practice charges alleging harassment and intimidation by union representatives after rejecting union control. Her role was detailed in reporting by the National Right to Work Committee.
Flying Food Group, founded in 1983 and based in Chicago, is a major airline catering and prepared-foods provider serving global carriers such as Air France, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa. The company employs several thousand workers across multiple airport kitchens, with some represented by Unite Here Local 11. Its operations and labor relations have drawn scrutiny amid repeated unfair labor practice disputes according to union records.
