School Cafeteria Workers In Orange Start Bargaining For 1st Contracts

ORANGE, NJ — School cafeteria workers in Orange have begun bargaining sessions for their first master contract, union representatives say.

On Monday, school cafeteria workers from six school districts, including the Orange district, will begin bargaining for their first master contract with Chartwells, a subsidiary of the British-based Compass Group. Other workers include employees in South Brunswick, North Brunswick, Woodbridge, Hackensack and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The workers, union members with 32BJ (SEIU), are seeking “a living wage, an affordable health insurance plan and benefits” as part of their inaugural contract, union representatives stated. Currently, the food service workers earn between $9 and $13 per hour, with full-time employees paying around $2,000 annually for single healthcare coverage.

“I take pride in my job because I know I am there for students—providing nourishment and encouragement,” said Leslie Williams, a longtime food service worker in the Orange School District. “But I don’t make enough money to feed my own family. Bargaining for a new, four-year contract will give me and hundreds of other food service workers the opportunity to fight for a living wage and good benefits so we can continue to keep doing the job we love and also provide for our families.”

“This is an exciting moment for food service workers because they are standing together to fight for a better life,” said Kevin Brown, 32BJ Vice President and NJ State Director. “These hardworking women and men who feed and care for our children earn less than $20,000 per year - which is below the federal poverty level for a family of four. They deserve a family sustaining wage. By bargaining for one master contract, school cafeteria workers are joining forces to help improve standards and wages that will benefit them, their families and their colleagues.”

The workers are hoping to reach an agreement with Chartwells before the onset of the new school year, union leaders said.

Chartwells states on its website that it “enriches the lives of our students and the communities we live through socially responsible and sustainability best practices.”

Photo: U.S. Department of Education, Flickr Commons