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Victories Roll In, The Struggle for Fair Food Continues

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 11/18/2010 - 12:20
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The past month has seen huge strides in workers’ struggle to win justice in the food chain, from the fields to our campus kitchens.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has forever changed the agricultural industry in Florida, winning a groundbreaking victory with the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE), following victories with industry leaders Pacific Growers and Six L’s.
 
Meanwhile, in Chicago, tremendously courageous campus dining workers at Loyola University took a public stand and won a union, joining UNITE HERE Local 1. They join the union of campus dining workers across the United States and Canada, including those just a few miles away at DePaul University, who won a great new contract, which included important rights for immigrant workers.
 
Of course, the struggle is not over. We have to keep fighting, and we have to keep standing in solidarity with each other, connecting those who pick our food to those who cook it and serve it to us every day. 
 
In that spirit, Alan Camacho, a cook and one of the worker leaders at DePaul, helped lead a delegation to Trader Joe’s as part of the Student/Farmworker Alliance national week of action to build on the recent CIW victories and hold supermarkets accountable for working conditions in Florida’s tomato fields.

 
Keep up with all of the other great events as part of the SFA week of action at http://www.sfalliance.org.

 

Winning Immigrants’ Rights on the Job

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Tue, 11/02/2010 - 12:55
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UNITE HERE’s recent victories bring new protections to immigrant workers
 
Campus dining workers at DePaul University, one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States, recently celebrated a huge victory in contract negotiations. The workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 1, won great wage increases and healthcare benefits and also joined a growing movement of workers who are winning immigration reform that starts at the workplace.
  

"My name is Mayrallana Nunez. I have been working at DePaul University for over ten years as a Cold Prep Cook. Almost all of my co-workers are immigrants, and many of them are my family members. My sister, husband, mother, sister-in-law all work here and we are all immigrants from Mexico. When we first started organizing our union, we wanted the same thing as anyone else; free health insurance, a living wage, and respect. But I was scared. I was scared that the bosses would try and use my co-workers’ immigration status against them, that the bosses would try and get us in trouble if we spoke up. We still fought, and we won. I am happy. I am very happy that we won free health insurance, but I am happier that we won protection for my family and all my co-workers who are immigrants. We don't have to be afraid to speak up anymore."

 
Protection for immigrant workers was a central bargaining issue for the DePaul worker negotiating committee. The resulting contract includes language ensuring that:
 
  • Employees will not be disciplined for Social Security no-match letters
  • The employer will limit immigration status checks to what I-9 forms require
  • Employees have a 2-year window to return or be rehired to work in the case of immigration problems
  • No employee will experience a loss of seniority, compensation or benefits due to changes in name or social security number
  •  Employees have a paid day off on the date of being sworn in as a U.S. citizen
  • Meetings will be conducted in workers’ first language
 
Hospitality workers across the United States have also proposed improvements in immigrant worker protection in their contract negotiations. In many cities, workers have already won some of these protections and are building upon their past success. 
 

While continuing to call on our nation’s elected leaders to fix our broken immigration system, these workers are taking leadership themselves, setting new standards and opening new possibilities in the movement for immigrant rights.

Make sure to support workers at all Catholic Universities by signing our letter of support.

Click here to download a handout version of this post to share with anyone who might be interested!


Breaking News at DePaul: Dining Workers Win Improved Health Benefits and Wages!

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 10/22/2010 - 12:08
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"Even with all the obstacles that we went through...we stood together....and we got a great contract."            -Chanteen Hardaway, Campus Dining Worker, DePaul University
 
After several difficult months of organizing and negotiating, the campus dining workers at DePaul, members of UNITE HERE Local 1, won an agreement with their employer Chartwells (Compass Group) that gives them vast improvements in wages, health benefits and immigration protection language.  The contract was ratified last night by a 68 to 0 vote! 
 
DePaul is the largest Catholic University in the United States.  The DePaul students' insistence that the DePaul administration uphold Catholic values of social justice was instrumental in the campaign's success.  [To hold all Catholic Universities accountable to this standard, sign our national letter to Catholic administrators.]
 
The DePaul student body supported the workers with a campus Living Wage Campaign throughout the entire process.  Last semester, in addition to putting on a student-worker concert to build support for a Living Wage, students addressed their concerns to the DePaul Board of Trustees and, in a powerful show of solidarity, personally delivered a 1,500-signature-strong petition to the President of DePaul.
 
The result of the student-worker solidarity:  
  • Fully provided single-coverage health plan for 80 full-time workers by the end of the contract; and only $85 per month for full family coverage.
  • Minimum wages of between $11.80 and $14.30 per hour (depending on job classification) for presently employed workers by the end of the contract.  Right now workers make as little as $9.25 per hour. 
  • Contract language that protects immigrants from employer abuse, including clauses ensuring that the employees will not be disciplined for Social Security no-match letters, that the employer will limit immigration status checks to what I-9 forms require, and that employees have a 2-year window to return to their job in the case of immigration problems.
A great contract, and a great campaign.  The DePaul Living Wage Campaign of 2010 had a huge impact on both the students and the workers who were involved.  
 
At last week's celebratory BBQ, students and workers had an opportunity to reflect on their experience.  Check out the video and then find out how you can get involved on your campus! 
 

With this huge victory under its belt the DePaul Living Wage Campaign will continue to work with the university administration to improve the university's campus-wide living wage policy.

A Year-End Update from DePaul Student Leaders

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 11:12
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[Editor’s Note: This end-of-the-year update from the DePaul Living Wage Campaign comes from DePaul students Pamela Barrientos and Alyssa Wieting, both of whom were leaders of the campaign all year and will be returning in the fall.]

As our academic year wrapped up, our final event was a great success.  We decided to plan a faculty/staff luncheon, inviting many with whom we had met earlier in the year.  At the same time, for some of the faculty/staff this was their introduction to the living wage campaign.  The student organizer overseeing and directing the event, Jenna Bergevin (DePaul 2013) ran the luncheon smoothly and efficiently, adding another amazing event to the growing strength of our campaign.

Jenna began with a PowerPoint presentation outlining the progress of the campaign, and the next steps for the future.  Included were worker and student testimonies, on their experiences and connection to DePaul and the Living Wage Campaign.  The staff/faculty engaged in the presentation by asking questions, brainstorming with us on enthusiastically agreed to start circulating petitions within their departments.

About two weeks before the Faculty Luncheon, around ten of our student committee members were able to attend the Board of Trustees Brunch. This was an important event to attend as the most the involved students on campus are invited to share their concerns, praises, and critiques of DePaul University to the trustees.  The brunch had a very inviting atmosphere as each student was assigned to a certain table with about three trustee members at each.  Prewritten questions were discussed as we casually ate brunch and talked.  Most students began with their praises of the university, and as the event progressed more critiques made their way to the surface.  The Living Wage campaign and our concerns of DePaul upholding its Vincentian mission was discussed at almost every table with a very positive response from trustee members.  It was obvious that they were interested in the work we were doing and gave many of us their support as they wished us the best in our endeavors.

Finally, a few weeks ago our organizers were blessed to be able to share the joy of officially recognizing Unite Here Local 1 as the official union for Chartwells workers at DePaul.  Congratulations to all of the workers.  Together we are strong, and ready to take on the challenge recognizing and bringing justice to worker's rights at DePaul.

 

Standing Together, Dancing Together

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 05/06/2010 - 11:30
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On Friday, April 23, students, faculty and campus dining workers at DePaul University in Chicago came together for an incredible celebration of solidarity. Over 200 students and 60 campus dining workers attended the “Living Wage Palooza,” which featured speeches from workers and professors as well as performances from 12 different student-led musical and spoken word acts, many of whom prepared material specific to the cause.
 
Amid the weight of the issue -- “I was moved to tears watching one worker in particular, Chanteen, express simultaneously her humility and frustration with the conditions that exist as a contracted employee at DePaul University,” said Dan Brown one of the lead student organizers – workers and students still found the space and inspiration to dance with each other and feed off each other’s energy.
 
"I thought it was inspiring, remarkable and touching,” campus dining worker Chanteen Hardaway reflected after the event. “It was shocking to know that that many students care about the workers. It was Friday and they could have been getting ready to go out and party, but instead they came and were kickin' it with the old folks."
 
Student organizer Jenna Bergevin said, “The event was a great opportunity for the students and workers to interact without a counter in between them.  Seeing everyone together was a powerful reminder that when people come together they can accomplish their goals!” 
 
Campus dining worker Alan Camacho agreed. "I felt that the event was awesome -- seeing all the students there, all the workers come out, even in the rain. For me it was a sign of all the work we've put in the past two years."
 
 “Watching students put on ponchos as opposed to retiring to their comfortable apartments solidified for me the urgency and determination of the DePaul University community,” said Dan Brown.
 
The event came less than two weeks after DePaul students delivered over 1500 petition signatures in support of living wages on campus to the University President. The workers have also now filed for an election to join the hundreds of other workers leaving Service Workers United (SWU) in favor of UNITE HERE in order to lift standards for cafeteria workers across the country. 
 
The DePaul community will surely take the inspiration from the Living Wage Palooza forward as the struggle to bring justice to DePaul’s cafeterias continues.
 

Students and workers gather for the event.
 

Chanteen Hardaway speaks about working in DePaul’s cafeteria.
 

Campus dining workers pose for a photo at the doorstep of a student house heavily involved in the living wage campaign.
 

 Workers show off student-made Local 1 cookies. The student and the worker committee all wore their UNITE HERE Local 1 buttons as well.

DePaul Students Take Another Step Toward Living Wages

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 04/15/2010 - 14:58
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Over the past couple of months, students at DePaul University have been knocking on dorm-room doors, speaking to classes and meeting with friends to gain support for living wages and affordable healthcare for contracted campus workers. Through their hard work, they collected over 1500 petition signatures. Earlier this week, a delegation of 16 of the student leaders delivered the petitions straight into the University President’s hands!
 
 
The next major step for the campaign is a community event on Friday, April 23, which will celebrate the achievements the workers and students have made so far and send a clear message that the DePaul community will stand together to ensure justice for its workers. If you are in Chicago, please join us! The event is at 3:30 PM at the corner of Kenmore and Belden in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Check out the Facebook event and share the flyer.
 
 
And finally, if you need a refresher on the importance of the campaign, check out this video.
 
 

 

Video: Living Wage Campaign at DePaul

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 15:41
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Campus dining workers from DePaul talk about their jobs in this great video from the DePaul Committee for Social Justice.

 


Email depaullivingwage[at]gmail.com for info on getting involved in the campaign, and sign the petition here.

 

Conference Success!

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 22:52
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The Stir It Up miniconference in Chicago on Saturday was a huge success!  Students from five schools across the Chicago area spent the day learning from each other and from campus food service workers also standing up for change.

We'll have some more posts about the conference in the coming days and weeks, including some video, but for now check out the photo set on Facebook.  The photos were taken by Pat Brown, a student leader from DePaul.  Here's a sampling:

 

 

Students and workers start out the day.

 


Workers Making Change panel discussion.

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