Police arrested 50 people at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday — mostly airline catering workers, but also three city supervisors — as they protested for better pay and benefits in Terminal 2.

Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said protesters were arrested for trespassing in violation of their free-speech permit, which allowed them to protest outside the terminal.

San Francisco Supervisors Matt Haney, Gordon Mar and Ahsha Safaí joined the protest and were arrested.

For an hour and a half, dozens of workers, organized by the Unite Here Local 2 union, circled outside the terminal entrance with whistles and loudspeakers as rain fell. Dozens more sat cross-legged inside in matching red T-shirts, their chants ringing out in Terminal 2: “Bad insurance, lousy pay, this is how your food gets made.” “One job should be enough.” “Poverty jobs have got to go.”

Eventually, one by one, each worker was led off by two San Francisco police officers. They were taken downstairs to a staging area where they were cited and released, police said.

Charles Hannon, 53, who said he has worked for LSG Sky Chefs for seven years, said he was protesting because he wants a pay raise and affordable health care. Hannon said he has Medi-Cal because he can’t afford the company’s plan and is looking for a side gig to support himself.

“We work till our hands and backs hurt. We’re popping ibuprofen all the time,” he said. “We’re not here to hurt anybody. We want to give them time to get to their flight. ... We have our issues, too, and we want people to know.”

LSG Sky Chefs’ David Margulies said in an email before the protest: “Our team continues bargaining in good faith with Unite Here. ... We respect employees’ rights under the law to demonstrate.”

Nancy Jewell, a spokeswoman for another catering company that the workers’ union has targeted, Gate Gourmet, said by email that her company has “made significant improvements for our people in wages and benefits across the U.S., and our negotiations with the union to date include additional investments.”

Negotiations continue, and Gate Gourmet expects “to reach a fair and competitive agreement through continued federal mediation, as we have in the past,” she said.

Some travelers, the first wave of the Thanksgiving rush, looked harried as they weaved their way inside the terminal. Others wandered by, curious. Not many seemed bothered by the protest, which didn’t disrupt travel.

Some passengers signed their names on petitions outside the terminal calling on the president of American Airlines to pay more for a contract that would boost workers.

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“I’m always for the workers,” said David Gillette, who was traveling to Palm Springs.

Meghan Palengat, on her way to Salt Lake City, heard that it was about health care and signed her name. “I figured everyone should have health care,” she said.

Minimum wages at SFO are higher than in the rest of the city, but workers say it’s still not enough to make ends meet in the hyper-expensive Bay Area.

“We are confident that, with the ongoing assistance of federal mediators, the catering companies and Unite Here will negotiate new nationwide agreements that increase pay and benefits,” American Airlines spokesman Joshua Freed said in an email Tuesday. “We understand that new labor contracts between Unite Here and LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet will result in increased costs for their many airline customers, including American. We are not in a position to control the outcome of their negotiations or dictate what wages or benefits are agreed upon between the catering companies and their employees.”

It’s not the first time a San Francisco supervisor has been arrested in a protest. Last year, Rafael Mandelman was arrested during a rally for workers at Marriott hotels. That protest was also organized by the Unite Here Local 2.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench