Final Report:

Lean Production & Sky Chefs Ramifications on Health and Safety

August 7, 2008

Project Interns: Naima Bridges & Dale Dualan

Key Contacts and Academic Mentors: Debbie Anderson- danderson@unitehere.org

Pam Tau Lee- ptlee@berkeley.edu Stephanie Ruby- stephanieruby52@sbcglobal.net

Occupational Health Internship Program UNITE HERE Sky Chefs Project

Oakland, CA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Abstract & Introduction II. Lean Production III. History of Sky Chefs IV. Sky Chefs Lean Production Model V. Survey Results & Narrative Reports

a. Los Angeles Sky Chefs b. Minneapolis Sky Chefs c. Oakland Sky Chefs d. San Jose Sky Chefs

VI. Recommendations for Improvement VII. Appendix & Graphs

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I. ABSTRACT & INTRODUCTION The in-flight catering company, LSG Sky Chefs, created a national initiative towards increasing production at all of their kitchens using the Lean Production System (LPS). As interns working with the Laundry and Food Service division of UNITE HERE, a national hotel, gaming, and service workers union, we researched the history of Lean Production and Sky Chefs and how this philosophy of production is being applied within the kitchens. The objective of the entire project was to create surveys and information about the effects of lean production on the health and safety of the Sky Chefs workers. This information will be used in a national UNITE HERE campaign to provide organizers ways to solicit information from the workers about their health and safety. We wanted to learn more about these issues, how unions operate as a whole and how they communicate and train their workers to organize. We used a variety of methods, including direct literature searches and research, phone interviews, on-site Sky Chefs visits, and email conversations to compile the data needed for this project. In Los Angeles, we received 27 surveys to create a sample of data with graphs and charts upon analysis, which would be used as a model kitchen for the project. In addition, we received information from 5 other sites in the nation. Our final product is a 30-page in-depth site review and lean thinking overview as well as a shortened survey booklet for the organizers. Challenges in the project were: the steep learning curve with being accustomed to working at a union, gathering health and safety data with individuals who feared losing their jobs, and language barriers with interviews. Successes include: going out on a site visit, talking and interviewing workers, completing surveys, creating a large document and database of survey questions to be used nationwide, creating a publishable booklet to be distributed to the organizers, and working as a team to gather our information and create ideas. We hope you will find this project as useful as we have found rewarding.

Through research and a series of surveys and interviews, this project has been created to aid in increasing awareness about some of the procedures and health and safety issues occurring at various Sky Chefs locations around the nation. This project is intended for the organizers and UNITE HERE members working on the national Sky Chefs campaign to learn about the Lean Production program in its kitchens and how this has affected its workers. We hope that it will aid in educating the organizers and Union employees on how to best approach working with the company, Sky Chefs, and how to approach health and safety concerns by the workers.

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II. LEAN PRODUCTION1 This section provides a general overview for Lean Production, also known as Lean Thinking/Manufacturing through its conceptualization, protocols, and worker involvement. We hope to give background on the reality of the Toyota Model and compare this to how it is applied at Sky Chefs. History of Lean Thinking-Where it all Began Lean thinking and lean manufacturing began as the brainchild of Japanese-born Eiji Toyoda who needed a simplified system to produce cars more efficiently, while building on concepts invented by the Ford and Taylor models of the 1920’s. The Ford system used interchangeable parts, a moving assembly line and less work per worker in order to save money and increase profit. Taylorism built on this model by standardizing the process and using management to facilitate pairing the worker to the job process while creating appropriate breaks, although he had not yet incorporated human resources or worker relations and therefore workers were treated as interchangeable machines. Mass production produced fertile grounds for the union movements because workers felt alienated at their jobs where working hours and production increased but quality decreased with the use of larger machines. In the 1950s, Toyoda and his business partner Taiichi Ohno expanded these models upon a visit to the Ford factories in Detroit and created the Toyota. They produced this car more efficiently, with increased profit, and improved worker relations using the Toyota Production System of Lean Production because Ford’s mass production would never work in smaller, densely populated cities in Japan. This philosophy of thought and system is designed to be cleaner, safer, more organized, of high quality and more productive than systems previous to Toyoda’s vision. Lean Manufacturing Lean Manufacturing has many components, one of which consists of a highly visual five-step process (5 S system) placing emphasis on the customer and its needs: sort, set in order, shine/inspect, standardize, and sustain. In order to value the customer and produce a customized product efficiently, one must identify and eliminate waste from the raw materials to the final product which goes through the sorting process to create order prior to reaching the customer. Lean has supported this philosophy through: incorporating worker input, their methods, materials, and machines towards increasing productivity, quality, and efficiency. Constant problem solving creates this precise and efficient system by thorough examination of the problem, determining a solution, and implementing it in a timely manner. Value Stream Mapping conceptualizes mapping the supply chain to detect waste and design solutions and to always ask why things are done in a specific method and what can be done to improve—a quality control system. Flow mapping (one-piece flow) is an important concept in eliminating waste and shortening the elapsed time from the raw materials to the final product (the just-in-time model), optimizing profit. You create only what the customer demands (pull) to drive production in short intervals, using small lots, staying close together, and keeping materials

1 Parenthetical words indicate the official Toyota words and phrases for specific procedures.

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moving. Standardization of the entire process creates clear objectives, stability, space for problem solving, worker involvement, and room for training. There are other pertinent concepts towards increasing productivity. Flexibility is also key to operating under the lean model. By shortening the wait times and increasing flexibility, quality improves, customers and workers are happy, and you use the space more efficiently. The key is the proper handling of the raw materials to the final product and NOT running the equipment as hard as possible. Kaizen is the Japanese term for continuous incremental improvement, which requires flexibility on all fronts. By focusing on quality, you reduce the cost because you eliminate waste from all aspects at the same time, which concurrently improves safety and morale. These drive the Toyota Production System. Checking and repairing machines on a regular basis are also necessary for flow and productivity. With broken machinery, the product is not the best. Toyota created checklists for cleanliness, mechanics, electrics, and general condition of machines. It is the responsibility of the management teams to stabilize and restore the equipment and to heed the workers complaints about faulty equipment. Toyota Production System (TPS)—The Workers One of the most important innovative concepts in the TPS system is to create a sense of community in the workplace through long-term service commitment in which seniority was considered. People are the most important assets to the company. Essentially, the longer that you worked at the company, the higher pay you received. This model considered workers as a fixed cost, similar to the machinery, that does not depreciate, as long as the management continues to train the workers. Toyoda also implemented intense employee involvement with decisions in the production line and restrictions on layoffs because this would mean more training for those currently unfamiliar with TPS. The company’s management must commit to continuously investing in its employees and constantly improving which took decades for Toyota to master. This collaborative effort between the workers and the managers opens the lines of communication where workers share their knowledge about the production lines and are willing to shape the job, its process, and try new procedures. Management must also go to the floors and see for themselves the production and flow so that they do not make major changes based on assumptions on how they believe production should go. Heihunka means leveling out the workload to produce the same amount of work each day once again reducing waste and standardizing the work process. Toyota realizes that problems can arise by the extra steps towards creating the product at the expense of workers. These wasted steps (Muda), such as unnecessary walking or overproduction, slow production. One important aspect that TPS focuses on is decreasing wasted motion and improving workspace ergonomics: “Poor ergonomic design negatively affects productivity and quality as well as safety” (Dennis, 21). Workers are injured when the unnecessary movements strain their bodies. Therefore, managers must also consider 1) the effects of overburdening the workers and machines in addition to 2) having irregular/uneven production processes (Muri and Mura, respectively).

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Time measurement and documentation plays a significant role in understanding the number of required steps for a process and to identify irregularities in production. They exemplify the motto: “slow and steady wins the race” because they believe in creating the best product and improving the process, which may in time hasten production. Finally, by maximizing the skills and utilization of the workers and not the machines (which causes overproduction), the factories become more flexible because people and not machines are guiding the work process. Toyota believes in slowing down/stopping production right away when an employee finds a problem so that this problem does not continue downstream (Jidoka). Error is a chance for improvement and instead of placing blame, one takes corrective actions by addressing the problem openly and creating steps to prevent its reoccurrence. Quality control is the responsibility of the workers and they are encouraged to stop production when a problem arises. This model demonstrates that the worker input is crucial to the functioning of the entire model and that quality control depends on the worker. Workers are the most valuable resource and they improve the standards. The Toyota Way Initiatives to implement lean manufacturing from this Toyota model into other systems have often been incomplete. Some believe that companies have focused too heavily on specific tools without grasping lean in its entirety creating a paradigm shift in the philosophy and throughout the organization away from the TPS lean model. “Most attempts to implement lean have been fairly superficial. The reason is that most companies have focused too heavily on tools such as 5S and just-in-time, without understanding lean as an entire system that must permeate an organization’s culture. In most companies where lean is implemented, senior management is not involved in the day-to-day operations and continuous improvement that are part of lean. Toyota’s approach is very different” (Liker, 7). By bringing problems to the surface constantly, the company addresses balancing workload. Reliable technology and visual cues maintain this consistency. This model’s long term philosophy also emphasizes mentorship, positive environments and feedback between the managers and the workers and the employees because they realized that cost reduction does not drive the manufacturing but trust, respect, and a sense of purpose does. Leaders must fully support the Toyota Model and mentor and lead by example. The Human Resources department of Sky Chefs is also at the core of maintaining the lean culture of training and safety. The process continues because they create a workable environment. Although the Toyota cars were successful, the company became complacent and needed something new. In comes the Prius! But in order to create a model such as this one, everyone had to agree to change and challenge their current work model, yet again creating another paradigm shift. As long as they develop a future state of vision, inform the entire working staff about the changes while garnering feedback and implementing the system, the shift in mentality is possible because everyone feels included, which is exactly what has happened. Also, the creation of the Prius arose through assessment of the clientele needs and creation of a product that is environmentally safe and in consumer demand, upholding the central values of the company.

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They are constantly changing and re-evaluating processes, which may seem paradoxical with their standardized methods, but forward thinking and change seems to be a “standard” for Toyota Corporation.

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III. HISTORY OF SKY CHEFS LSG Sky Chefs is a major in-flight catering company that currently dominates the worldwide airline catering market. The company was founded in Irving, Texas, USA in 1942. Today, it employs 30,000 members with 200 service centers in 49 countries (http://www.lsgskychefs.com/en/about-us.html ). It serves more than 250 airlines worldwide, producing 350 million meals annually. Some of its major customers include Lufthansa, United Airlines, American Airlines, Mexicana, and Alaska Airlines. Sky Chefs is contracted with the labor union UNITE HERE, which represents over 7,500 Sky Chefs airline catering workers in the U.S. According to Sky Chefs’ senior workers and UNITE HERE representatives, in the past Sky Chefs was considered an exceptional and prosperous in-flight catering company. The company’s profit and productivity boomed, it provided workers with good jobs and benefits, and many customers received fine dining on their flights. Most of this changed with the attacks of September 11th 2001 and rising fuel prices. Airline lost bids, major airline cut meals, workers were laid off, and as a result, Sky Chefs’ profit plummeted. After September 11, 2001, airline catering businesses started to fall while labor costs climbed and airline operating expenses, debt loads, and gas prices soared. Meals were not offered by most airlines on flights that were less than 4 hours long, except for those in first class cabins. Soon in-flight catering jobs began to diminish. According to UNITE HERE, consolidations and draconian cuts in workers’ wages and economic benefits were two major ways Sky Chefs adapted to these recent events in order to cut costs and make profits. In line with the cut meals served on airlines, Sky Chefs service units laid off massive numbers of workers to decrease costs of labor and productivity. At the same time, Sky Chefs looked elsewhere than their core business to grow. It began to prepare food for retail outlets like 7-11, Starbucks, and Target. In early 2006, Sky Chefs demanded severe concessions from its workers. As a result, benefits were cut, vacation and sick days were lost, health insurance costs increased, and wages were lowered. Despite these setbacks Sky Chefs reported profits in 2006 and 2007. LSG Sky Chefs competes with non-union caterers including Flying Food and Chelsea Catering. It’s main competition both domestically and internationally is Gate Gourmet, which is Unionized throughout the U.S.

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IV. SKY CHEFS LEAN PRODUCTION MODEL2 This section is based on interviews and observations from the Los Angeles and Minneapolis Sky Chefs facilities. Sky Chefs has attempted to use the Lean Production System from Toyota in some of their kitchens to increase efficiency and productivity. In visiting a kitchen in Los Angeles, the management and staff take pride in their efficient procedures from the dishwashers to the newly created stations on food preparation where they minimize the amount of steps taken and use runners if they lack a certain material. The entire kitchen is labeled, organized, and has visual cues to demonstrate workspace and how final products should look. Workers are required to be trained to understand these visual cues. The actual process of saving time, reducing waste and increasing output is a high priority at the Sky Chefs kitchens and essentially they have picked the components of lean production, which relate specifically towards increased output to use in their kitchen. Based on interviews and observations, a few problems remain on how Sky Chefs has implemented this Lean Production System. First of all, there is little customer driven production. Perhaps this is impossible in a kitchen as opposed to a vehicle, but food is prepared for the flights and distributed without much input on behalf of the consumer. If they do not want a particular food or wanted healthier options, there is little room for consumer driven feedback in terms of food production or creativity. Secondly, management does not consider the worker as a person, but as machine to get the task done without much interaction with the outcome. Lean production specifically values the input from the worker to create changes in the production line and halt the line if there are problems. Sky Chefs does the opposite. They do not solicit product information from those creating the product and only care about the numbers produced at the expense of worker health and safety. They do not request worker input and enforce unrealistic rules and quotas without knowing what the production line actually can do. Therefore the system implemented is only partially effective, partially lean production. In order for the entire system to be effective, the whole philosophy must be applied. A survey of workers at Sky Chefs kitchens in Minneapolis and Los Angeles showed an increase workload in these kitchens without regard to the ergonomics and safety of the workers, there seems to be more pain medication taken for overall body soreness. Some workers have been timed with a stopwatch by “Lean Teams” to measure their productivity without open dialogue and some have had less time to rest and recover because they have had too much work. Young workers have been timed with stopwatches and production standards are based on their performance. Although the workload/quota has increased, they have not hired more people. Fewer workers are doing more work despite their requests to have improved scheduling and workload. In Minneapolis, workers have stated that they have poor equipment, are unable to complete their quota due to this unreliability, and are subsequently punished for decreased

2 sources from interviews, see LA and Minneapolis Sky Chefs Data Section

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productivity. They hesitate to contact management because previous attempts have afforded no improvement in machinery or carts, but only created sour relationships. Minneapolis workers have not been able to take their breaks during the day and the management seems the disregard their requests. These observations are just a few of the examples of how Sky Chefs has applied the philosophy of the Lean Production System incompletely. Please refer to the next section for a closer examination of the practices at Sky Chefs.

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V. SURVEY RESULTS & NARRATIVE REPORTS Our surveys and interviews with Sky Chefs workers have shown that increased production load with Lean Production is correlated with poorer health (physical, mental, and emotional) and safety in the workplace. The event of September 11, 2001 has had a significant effect on the airline catering businesses. Nationwide, these businesses have decreased dramatically. As a result many facilities have forced their workers to work harder and faster because of the lack of the staff due to many layoffs. This has cultivated a myriad of health and safety issues and concerns. Locations surveyed had a few similar findings regarding workload changes, scheduling, health and injuries, and equipment malfunction, although significant differences still exist and are noted in the following sections. Here are some of the patterns noticed in the four surveyed Sky Chefs kitchens:

Sky Chef Kitchens

Health and Safety

Observations Los Angeles Minnesota Oakland San Jose Increased workload

Monitored w/ stopwatch

while working

Able to take breaks

Taking pain medication

Injuries, Accidents, and Illnesses on the

Job

Inadequate uniforms and

protective wear

Problems with carts

Problems with trucks

inadequate training

Table. Health and safety observation comparison among four surveyed Sky Chefs kitchens. Whether or not each checkmark “” is representative of all workers within each kitchen, each health and safety observation checked indicates it does indeed exist at the respective locations.

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LA Sky Chefs Survey & Analysis In July 2008, we surveyed 27 workers from the Sky Chefs service unit in Los Angeles, California. On average, they have been working for Sky Chefs for over 15 years. We met with workers who were scheduled to work between 4am – 12:30pm. The kitchen operates for 24 hours with full-time workers during the morning, day, evening, swing and night shifts. The job departments surveyed include Dishroom, Food Preparation, Transportation, Mechanical, Warehouse, Pantry, Silverware, and Assembly. A majority of those surveyed work in the food preparation department, which is in charge of preparing the meals (either cold or hot) for the airlines. Other positions include cleaning, maintenance, and distribution work. The survey questions addressed issues that included workload changes, timing and scheduling, pain medication, injuries and accidents, tools and equipment, and training. Refer to the Appendix for the charts and graphs of our results for each section listed below. Workload Changes Over 50 percent of the workers stated that workload has changed during their time working at Sky Chefs. Most stated that pressure and workload has increased within the last 2-3 years, when Sky Chefs began laying off workers. One worker stated, “Sometimes there are not enough people and we have to work with unclean equipment.” Most stated that working conditions have gotten worse: there are not enough staff members, workers are completing tasks meant for two or more people, and the job overall is getting much more stressful, especially with the pending consolidation of the LA kitchens. Over 70 percent of the workers stated that they have been monitored by a person with a clipboard or stopwatch while working. Several explained that being watched by someone with a clipboard or stopwatch forces them to work faster and harder, tomeet an “almost perfect” standard. This has caused stress and discomfort for the workers. Breaks, Timing, and Scheduling Roughly 80 percent of the workers are able to take their breaks on time, although shot union organizers believe that some employees were hesitant to tell the truth in fear of losing their jobs. Those who are not able to take their breaks on time explained that sometimes they are so busy finishing up a task that it cuts into their break period. As a result, their time to rest and recover is cut short from their regularly scheduled 30-minute break period. This also causes stress for workers. In order to complete tasks for the day, about 60 percent of the workers stated that they feel the need to come in before or stay after their regularly scheduled time. Some have stated that these practices are against company policy. Also, workers are not forced to stay overtime, however workers do get paid for working overtime. About 34 percent of the workers feel like they do not have enough time to complete their job assignment without missing breaks and/or rushing. Fewer workers have stated that they do not have enough time to complete their job assignments probably because the majority have taken more time out of their schedule to complete their tasks, however this area will need more exploration. More than 50 percent of the workers complain that

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there are not enough people scheduled to work each day. When a worker calls in sick another worker is called in to fill that position at the last moment or that work is given to the available workers. Pain Medication Sixty percent of the workers currently take pain medication such as Tylenol and aspirin due to muscular aches and back pains. One of the service units has a Li’l Medic, a vending machine where pain medication such as Tylenol or aspirin can be purchased for 25 cents each. According to one of the shop stewards, there have been times where the Li’l Medic has emptied out in one day alone. Many take pain medication to combat headaches from stress. Injuries, Accidents, and Illnesses on the Job More than half of the surveyed workers have experienced an injury, accident, or illness on the job. Some cases were caused by lifting heavy equipment, performing repetitive motions, standing for long periods of time, feeling pressured to work harder and faster, and having stress from high workloads. Not only is body pain experienced, but mental stress as well. According to many of the workers, the physical labor of the job assignments can cause a lot of stress and mental breakdown. One worker stated that many could afford health insurance so they must rely on the Li’l Medic vending machine for medical assistance. In fact, on-site company doctors have been known to deny that employee injuries are significant, when in fact, they are. One shop steward mentioned that his hand was injured one day and became swollen. The company doctor said to return to work because the injury was minor, but upon going to the ER in the evening, they determined that it was broken and questioned why he waited so long. Tools and Equipment The majority of the workers feel that their tools and equipment like gloves and uniforms are reliable, well-maintained, and that there is enough for everyone. One piece of equipment that is posing issues however is the food cart. At times they are heavy and the wheels do not roll properly. According to one worker, “Sometimes when I try to push the cart in one direction, it goes the other direction.” This was caused by a broken wheel. When asked if a manager is informed when a cart is broken, the majority said “yes” and sometimes they get replaced while other times they have to wait a while until the carts get fixed. Carts not only contain food, but beverages as well. Food preps and drivers usually push the food carts to designated areas, from around the kitchen, to trucks, to airplanes. There are also complaints about the transporting trucks. One worker stated that the trucks are old and do not have windshield wipers. This poses as a safety threat to some of the truck drivers who have transport meals to the airport. Training Over 60 percent of the surveyed workers stated that they do not receive any adequate training when changes occur in the job. They usually receive some kind of literature that they have to read as their method of training. Some of them cannot even read or understand the literature that

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is given to them. Most of them have to rely on pictures or diagrams on the wall to teach them how to do their tasks. Troubleshooting We learned from the shop stewards that in order to increase survey accuracy, it may be necessary to have those individuals who have worked with the Union and the workers before to administer the survey. Some workers fear telling the truth to unknown people, such as the interns, because they do not want to lose their jobs. We have developed a survey that the committee members can use on their own to administer to the workers, with the hopes of increasing accuracy. Conclusion The biggest issue that workers are most worried about is the consolidation of the two LA kitchens. Workers will be losing seniority and many workers will be getting laid off. Changes in workload and workflow will inevitably occur once the two kitchens merge and will most likely have a significant impact on the health and safety of the workers. Overall, a majority of the surveyed workers feel like they are working harder than before for lesser pay and this is causing stress inside and outside of the work environment. Minneapolis Sky Chefs Narrative Through phone interviews in July 2008 with key Sky Chefs employees in Minneapolis, we found patterns in workload and health and safety also observed in other Sky Chefs kitchens with a Lean Production system. Overall, the workers have seen an increase in workload in multiple divisions from the liquor room to transportation. As a new hire, an increased production load seemed normal, while older workers have seen an increased production load over the years. One individual who worked in the liquor room as a coordinator indicated that there have been significant changes in workload because the company has forced them to complete their tasks within an eight-hour shift, which is impossible. He felt that they should either hire more employees or give a reasonable amount of work to complete in the time given. He also noticed that employees come to work earlier to complete their quota for the day, particularly in high seasons such as summer where the carts are larger and heavier. Overtime commonly occurs and is problematic for the workers who need to return home to their families. These significant changes began about 5 months ago and although he had not heard of lean production, the increased production shift may be a result of this lean system program. Like Los Angeles, these employees have also been timed with a stopwatch “to make the job easier for [the workers],” which is what they were told. One worker was told “chop chop,” to keep on task even with faulty equipment. This is not uncommon with many of the workers and it usually happens once a week. Many workers do not understand the purpose of these timed sessions, but they understand that their production has increased and that their workload has interrupted their scheduled breaks, which are shortened or not taken at all. There are no regularly scheduled breaks for truck drivers. They are given one 30-minute break period per day that they

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take when they can. According to one driver, about half of the drivers will work eight hours non-stop and skip their breaks to go home early. Many workers are told to leave early if there is little work or to stay late if the work is not completed, affecting their 8-hour workday. For drinks on a large flight, they must stock the carts in 3 minutes, which is too little time. When a worker calls in sick, others shoulder their assignment. These individuals range from workers in that division to those in other areas who do not have the training or even the supervisors, who realize that the work is a large undertaking: “Many people do not want to work [in the liquor room] because the job is too much”. Although there is some training for their specific tasks, when placed on schedule for a new division, they do not receive training. If you work in the soda department but are changed to juice, for example, you must learn from those around you to perform in this new environment.   A few workers need to take medication to relieve pain from injuries. On-site aspirin dispensers are located in the kitchens. Common areas of pain are: the back, shoulders and arms, and general body aches due to unsafe pulling or pushing of heavy carts. One individual explained that a rolling cart injured his leg a few years ago. Few workers complain about insufficient or broken carts because their complaints are not heard and that they must maintain their production quotas with broken equipment. When one breaks, workers must continue to use it or scramble to find another to meet the appropriate flight because they are reprimanded when production slows. Another individual experienced back pain for three months after lifting heavy materials like crates of glasses and boxes of liquor. “They’re trying to kill us,” explained one individual. Drivers are currently using trucks that are old and not well maintained; some have no lights, horns, or heating systems for the cold wintertime season. Drivers in the past had to purchase their own winter protective clothing like jackets and gloves until the Union took action on this issue. When workers file complaints, “we aren’t provided anything really. All they [management] say to us is ‘Then give us your badge!’ to scare us,” explained an individual. While working for Sky Chefs is not easy, workers hesitate to find alternative employment because they recognize that any job requires hard work. However, they do feel that working conditions could and should be improved because their health is being affected severely. Working conditions have changed slightly with the change in the Union representative position. One change was the notification to work overtime explained by one individual: “Before the new Union representative came, we were sometimes told two hours before our shift ends to work overtime and that upset a lot of people because sometimes we need to pick up our kids or attend other plans. Now after the new Union representative came and bargained, the management lets us know earlier so we can make arrangements. The workers have stated that they feel much more comfortable and acquainted with the new Union representative, but working conditions are still stifling. Oakland Sky Chefs Narratives Sky Chefs Oakland is a smaller operation, in both production and staffing, than most of the other locations due to decreased flights out of the Oakland airport and decreased passenger flow. There are fewer domestic and international flights and therefore some workers transferred to the San Francisco kitchens or were laid off based on seniority.

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The workers were receptive and open towards communicating with the interns. Most of the twenty employees we talked to have been working at this Oakland location for over seventeen years; others with less seniority have already been laid off. One female worker in the prep and serving section was very concerned that she would be the next to be fired as she had been at the company for 17 years and more layoffs were pending. When asked if they could change one thing, these women who worked in food prep, cooking, arranging, etc commented, “My job is okay, but if there is one thing that I could change, it would be the salary”. While workload and staffing have both decreased concurrently, workers feel that overall, they are able to complete the work assigned to them. Regarding workload and overtime, only a few admitted to sometimes working more than their eight scheduled hours but that they were always paid time-and-a-half to do the work. The crew interviewed worked at 4am and leave at 12:30pm with a half an hour break off the clock. When a member of the team gets sick, they must do more work but they did not seem extremely bothered. When asked about injuries on the job, the women mentioned constant injuries and are always in pain. Though these injury rates are not as high as when they had a larger workforce. Motrin IB has become a part of life for one woman each afternoon after returning home from work. Their feet constantly hurt, along with their hands, shoulders, backs, and heads. Cuts on the arms also occur in the food prep area from time to time. Injuries are common, but this has not hindered worker production. In fact, this past quarter, the operations manager mentioned that the team was eligible for a bonus because they had minimized their overtime, their complaints from airlines, decreased injuries (whether this is due to a real reduction or underreporting was not ascertained), and increased team production. Walking into the kitchen, we noticed that this huge kitchen was relatively sparse and you could see that it formerly many more employees and produced much more food than it currently produces. There was very little communication while the workers did their jobs. The space was divided into hot preparation/cooking on the right, food/tray prep in the middle and storage and packaging on the left with a large washing belt on the far left, which needed repair. Time crunch was not a major concern, compared to other kitchen locations. Upon inspecting the walls, we noticed a lean production poster board which diagramed the operations of lean production, but it looked a faded and few paid attention to it. Because this was a small kitchen with minimal output, the lean production model did not seem appropriate for this Oakland location. San Jose Sky Chefs Narrative The visit at San Jose Airport’s Sky Chefs was brief. We talked with only one worker since the break time did not coincide with the time that we were there at the Sky Chefs kitchen. We learned that this location has seen a dramatic decrease in production over the past several years, similar to the Oakland airport; the workforce has decreased from 200 workers to 40. The commercial kitchen (producing 7-11 sandwiches) has since merged with the in-flight kitchen San Jose has become the sole producer of sandwiches for the 7-11 divisions in northern California. Many of the 7-11 workers work the morning and day shifts while the airport workers work the evening and night shifts. Sandwiches are made in cold rooms for the 7-11. In chatting

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with the commercial kitchen general manager, he mentioned that “many employees have worked at this location for at least 10 years, so they are used to [the cold conditions].” The employees bring their own heavy coats and gloves and layer them while working their 8-hours shifts in the 36º F cold foods room. One member mentioned that they have had management come to observe their work for quality control but this has not affected their rate of production. Because this was a former lean kitchen, there are production modes that retained this philosophy such as the proper loading and removal of products from shelves. In talking with one of the HR representatives, she mentioned that they would like to return to some of the lean models that they had a few years ago, but at this point, it is impossible because they are short staffed and the airlines do not need as much food as they did years ago. In terms of worker injuries and pain, one person mentioned that he had back and finger pain when he started the job 10 years ago but he has now become accustomed to it. Our major concern walking through the kitchen was the cold conditions where workers make the 7-11 sandwiches. Concluding Remarks Each Sky Chefs kitchen operated differently depending on the airport and airline businesses, food production demand, staff size, and other factors. At most locations, many workers feared the loss of work due to the decreasing business of the airline catering industry. Other workers feared the potential merging of kitchens that would result in a loss of seniority and more layoffs. In addition, some workers felt the pressure of the Lean Production System, although many were not familiar with the processes of Lean Production. One common trend was that the management and the supervisors disregarded employee input and sacrificed worker health for increased productivity, whether this was through production speed-ups or dysfunctional equipment. Some kitchens consolidate—and others engage in significant worker layoffs to respond to decreasing business. This ultimately has had an effect on the workers health and working conditions. The recommendations following this section are suggestions for incremental changes towards increasing worker input and decreasing the physical stress. Finally, the surveys, graphs, and tables in the Appendix shed light on the tools and analysis used to track our data.

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VI. Recommendations This section highlights a few recommendations. Some recommendations came from workers themselves. We hope these can be useful in creating dialogue and initiating change in SkyChefs kitchens. Globally re-evaluate the application of the lean production system through

prioritizing worker input

o Create worker teams that meet regularly with management so that problems are heard and solved. Create posters/visuals that chart health and safety changes and progress in the work place. For example, at each SkyChefs, create a Worker Health and Safety Committee with workers from all of the departments in the kitchens. The representatives on the committees should come from every division in the kitchen, from the drivers to the dishwashers, and should not be hand picked by management. There must be a translator present to make the employees feel comfortable and to ensure that neither language nor literacy is a barrier. Management should provide incentives for committee members, such as lunch or meeting on work time, to discuss the work hours, workload, health and safety. They should also encourage workers and enforce that this involvement with the committee will not be detrimental to their employment status. The Union should also be involved in the selection of worker representatives.

Provide adequate personal protective equipment as frequently as needed

and check equipment regularly for wear and tear.

o Not only does management need to provide adequate protective equipment for the workers, but they need to ensure that these supplies are adequate throughout the year. They must check on the equipment regularly for wear and tear. Workers did not have adequate clothing in the snow and gloves were only given on an annual basis in the dishwashing area. These gloves wore out within a few months due to melting upon handling the hot dishes.

Create ergonomically safe machinery and carts

o The chief complaint for the workers in the food prep division of the kitchen was back pain due to the repetitive motion of bending to place completed food trays at the bottom of the airplane food carts. In addition to creating health and safety teams comprised of workers from different kitchen divisions, these teams could be involved in creative/product design. With safety and ergonomic specialistis, they can brainstorm ergonomically correct and safe carts to present to cart manufacturers. One idea is to spring load the carts so that as trays are removed

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and the weight decreases, the trays move up towards the center, limiting the back strain on the workers.

Prioritize the process of creating the product and not just bottom line costs

o The Toyota model prioritizes the customers and the workers over its profit margins. By focusing on the work force and the customer, profits would increase because the people would be satisfied by the service and profit would naturally follow. You also reduce creating unwanted products and therefore decrease expenditures. By including the worker in the quality assurance process and in decisions about the workplace, they will make the space more efficient and workers will feel more motivated to work as well as comfortable in their setting.

Hiring more workers OR reducing the amount of work per person.

o We have seen that a decrease in workers or an increase in the hours has had effects on the health and safety of the workers. When an employee is doing the job of more than one person, this can overwork the body and result in mental stress and physical pain. It is therefore recommended to assign enough people to safely do each job.

Regularly checking the machinery to ensure that it works & listening to

workers’ concerns with broken equipment o Management should have planned rounds for equipment and safety inspections

each month so that they can be updated on the problems in the building and how this affects their workers. Workers at some of the locations complained that the trucks were not maintained and never checked. When mentioned to management, they often ignored the requests of the workers. While it is important for workers to be an integral part of this process, It is also important for the management themselves to recognize the problems and quickly suggest a solution to minimize injury.

Survey customers about meals and menus o Create a customer satisfaction survey system whereby workers could place a

small card on service trays. In accordance with the Lean Production System by identifying customers’ priorities and preferences, undesirable items could be eliminated from the production process, leaving workers more time to focus on the food items their customers value.

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VII. Appendix

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SKY CHEFS BRIEF WORKER INTERVIEW FORM Date of Interview________ Location________ Name Job Title/Description: Sex: ______ Age:______ Ethnic Background: _______ Other job?__________ Married/Single/Children?_______ How long at Sky Chef__________ Job related concerns (working conditions, pace, training): Health/injury concerns (any accidents? When? where? Any pain?) Lean thinking (knowledge, increase production, incentive programs)

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SKY CHEFS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS DATABASE General Introduction questions: Name Age & gender What languages do you speak? What department do you work at Sky Chefs? Tell me about what you do? How long have you been working with Sky Chefs? Tell me your story. Job related concerns:

What are your impressions about Sky Chefs? Is it a good place to work? Do you like your job? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? Have there been any changes in the workload? (Diagram the change in workstation.) Are

these changes better/the same/ or worse? Do you have to work harder and faster? Do you have more work? If you have been working at Sky Chefs over the years, when did you notice this change?

Are you familiar with the term "Lean Team?" or "Lean Production"? If so, what have you heard about it? When did lean production start at your kitchen? How effective is it? Any results? What changed? Are you aware of any “Lean Team” members coming into your kitchen from the corporate office? If yes, what did they do?

Has anyone ever watched you work (perhaps with a clipboard or stop watch?) Did they tell you what they were doing? Did your work or job change after this? What happened?

Is equipment reliable? Are they old? New? Are they well maintained? Is there enough? Is there adequate staffing put on the schedule for that day? If someone calls in sick, do

you perform this person’s tasks? How is the turnover in the company? Do part-timers show up for their job?

Are there seasonal productivity changes? If workload increases, does staffing increase as well?

Do you have concerns about working conditions? Are you aware of other workers having concerns?

Next I will talk to you about training:

Were you ever trained to work effectively and efficiently when you first got hired? With this lean system, were you re-trained? What was that like? Does everyone receive adequate training?

Did you get training on machine changes or new equipment? Do you push the large food carts around? Are they operable? Are there problems with the

carts’ wheels? Other parts of the carts? What kind of problems? Are the trucks operable and safe to transport the food? (brakes, horns, hydraulics

functional? )

Health and Safety:

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Have you experienced any injuries or accidents? Have you experienced illnesses due to the job? If yes, what happened? When?

-slips/falls -strained muscles -heat stroke/stress -cold, frost bites. do your hands swell and turn blue, neck problems. -burn -falling objects -pain in back or ribs -near misses

Did you ever miss work as a result of an accident/injury? Were you hospitalized? How do you feel while you are working and how do you feel after you are working? Do you now do the same job as prior to the accident/injury or are you doing a different

job? Do you receive breaks (Do you have time to rest and recover)? How long are they? Are

you able to take the full amount of time? Regularly? Are you able to go to the bathroom when you need to and drink water? Do you ever have to work through your breaks? Why? Is there a quota? In order to complete your quota, do you need to come in before/stay

after your regularly scheduled time? Do you know of other workers who do this? Have you been taking any medication for injuries on the job? Like Tylenol or Advil or

prescription medication for pain? Why? What are the hazards in the work place? Do you feel safe? Are you provided with coats/protective wear/shoes in the cold rooms or during winters

for your safety?

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Date:

SKY CHEFS LOS ANGELES HEALTH AND SAFETY SURVEY Lean Model Kitchen Name: Contact Phone #: How long have you worked at Sky-Chefs? What hours do you work? What is your department and what do you do?

Instructions: Please circle the response that applies to you on each question and comment if necessary. 1) Have there been any changes in your workload? Yes No

a. Explain (when changes occurred, what happened?)

b. How did these changes affect you? 2) Has anyone ever watched you work (perhaps with a clipboard or stop watch?)

Yes No

a. How did this affect your job? Breaks 3) Are you able to take your scheduled breaks on time? (Needed time to rest and recover?)

Yes No 4) Are there enough people scheduled to work each day?

Yes No a. What happens when someone calls in sick? b. What happens when there is a flight delay?

5) Do you have enough time to complete your daily assignments? Yes No

6) In order to complete your assignment, do you feel the need to come in before or stay after

your regularly scheduled time? Yes No

7) Food prep: How many meals do you prepare a day? 8) Drivers: How many planes do you load per day? Health

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9) Do you currently take pain medication such as Tylenol, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. Yes No Explain:

10) Have you experienced any injuries, accidents or illness due to your job? Yes No What happened?

11) Body Chart (See following page) Equipment 12) What tools or equipment are required to perform your tasks (list 3)?

a. Are they reliable? Yes No Explain: b. Are there enough? Yes No c. Do you inform your manager if something is broken?

Yes No

a. Are you provided with adequate protective wear when working in cold/hot conditions? Yes No

13) Do you receive effective training when there are changes in your work tasks?

Yes No

14) Are there other things you would like to tell us about your working conditions at Sky-Chef? Would you like us to contact you about the survey? Yes No Notes: 

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BODY MAP RESOURCE (Original document in Tools of the Trade p. 80)  

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Are You Able To Take Your Breaks On Time?

Yes80%

No20%

Yes

No

N=25

Have You Experienced Changes In Workload?

Yes58%

No42%

Yes

No

N=26

Do You Take Pain Medication?

Yes60%

No40%

Yes

No

N=25

Do You Receive Training When Changes Occur?

Yes39%

No61%

Yes

No

N=23

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Do You Need To Come In Before/Stay After Work to Complete Your Quota?

Yes60%

No40% Yes

No

N=25

Have You Experienced Injuries, Accidents, or Illnesses on the Job?

Yes54%

No46%

Yes

No

N=24

Is Your Equipment Reliable?

Yes79%

No21%

Yes

No

N=24

Are Conditions Better, Same, or Worse?

Better8%

Same25%

Worse67%

Better

Same

Worse

N =12

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Are There Enough People Scheduled To Work Each Day?

Yes46%

No54%

Yes

No

N=24

Do You Have Enough Time to Complete Your Job Assignment Without Missing Breaks and/or

Rushing?

Yes64%

No36% Yes

No

N=25

Have You Been Watched While Working?

Yes72%

No28%

Yes

No

N=25

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Body Pain Chart

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Chest

Elbow

Upper

Arm

Should

erNec

kBac

k Thig

h

Feet

Upper

Bac

kM

id Bac

kLo

wer B

ack

Butto

xFing

ers

Wris

tPalmKne

esHea

d

Body Region

Com

plai

nt C

ount

(N=2

7)

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List of Sources Dailey, Kenneth. The Lean Manufacturing Employee Training Manual. USA: DW Publishing Co. 2004 Dailey, Kenneth. The Lean Manufacturing Handbook. USA: DW Publishing Co. 2004 Dennis, Pascal. Lean Production Simplified. New York: Productivity Press. 2007. Jackson, Kim. UNITE HERE Assistant Director, Strategic Affairs Dept. Personal interview. 08 July 2008. Labor and Occupational Health Program. Tools of the Trade: A Health and Safety Handbook for Action. Berkeley, CA. 2006 Liker, Jeffrey. The Toyota Way. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2004 Los Angeles Sky Chefs workers. Personal interviews. July 2008 "LSG Sky Chefs" Home Page. LSG Sky Chefs. Accessed July 18, 2008. http://www.lsgskyschefs.com "LSG Sky Chefs" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia.com. Accessed July 18, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorism Mann, David. Creating a Lean Culture: Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions. New York: Productivity Press. 2005 Minneapolis Sky Chefs workers. Personal interviews. July 2008 "Scientific Management." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia.com. Accessed July 15, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorism San Jose Sky Chefs workers. Personal interviews. July 2008 The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation. Worker Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Training. Berkeley, CA. 2006 UNITE HERE! Airports. "In-Flight Catering Backgrounder." 01 April 2008 Image Sources: Food tray- http://airlinemeals.net/images/meals/chinaairlines141.jpg Sky Chefs Workers- http://foodnetworkaddict.blogspot.com/2007/10/tonight-next-iron-chefgermany-style.html truck with airTran in the background- http://lh5.ggpht.com/_LLNSOayc5V0/Rq_U7Cyh8SI/AAAAAAAAAIw/PhbdgyEpXlc/100_4987.JPG Key contacts for project: Pam Tau Lee: Phone # 415-602-1401 / email: ptlee@berkeley.edu Debbie Anderson: phone #: 813-633-0015 / cell #: 202-744-2702 / email: danderson@unitehere.org UNITE HERE Local 2850 Stephanie Ruby: phone#: 415-290-0254 / email: Stephanieruby52@sbcglobal.net

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JR de Vera: phone#: 831-229-2449 / email: jrs175@aol.com UNITE HERE Local 11 Gail Escobar: phone#: 323-788-1955 / email: neveragainescobar@juno.com Prudencio Vierra: phone#: 323-496-1671 / email: prudencio@herelocal11.org