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Workers Speak Out

Cafeteria Workers of Bronx Community College Fight to Keep Jobs

Submitted by Hannah Caruso on Mon, 02/21/2011 - 21:02
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“We are devastated because we don’t know if we have a job at the end of the month, and no one is telling us anything…If I lose this job and my kids get sick, how will I get them medicine?” -Victor Benitez
 
Victor Benitez has worked as a dishwasher and a grill cook for CulinArt at Bronx Community College for years. Last week he learned that he and his co-workers may not have jobs there as soon as the end of February. The college is bringing in a new company to run the cafeteria, and the administration has refused to make sure the new company hires all the current workers. The workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 100, and have negotiated a contract with full family health benefits.
 
Bronx Community College is an institution that represents opportunity in one of the poorest Congressional districts in the country. About 38% of South Bronx residents live below the poverty line, according to 2010 Census data. The college administration should make sure the workers can keep their jobs, no matter what company is brought in. The Professional Staff Congress (the faculty union for the CUNY system), along with several Student Government Association senators, has pledged to support the workers in their struggle. Local 100 will continue to fight until they win the right to keep their jobs, and continue to support their families.  
 
Photo is of (left to right): Victor Bonet, Carmen Ovale, Mary Torres and Victor Benitez, all cafeteria workers and Local 100 members at Bronx Community College

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.

Video: NFL Concessions Workers Speak Out

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 09/24/2010 - 14:49
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In addition to campus dining workers, UNITE HERE represents stadium concessions workers.  Here's a video of concessions workers speaking out at stadiums from NYC to San Francisco.  

 

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.

 

Reflections on the Stir It Up conference

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 15:08
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I know we’ve already told you that the inaugural Stir It Up conference in Chicago was a huge success, but I’m sure all of you in the Stir It Up world want to know a bit more than that! 

The busy 5-hour day included introductions to the campus food service industry, Unite Here and the Student/Farmworker Alliance. Attendees heard from a panel of students who already have done great work around their campus food service providers as well as an incredibly moving panel of Unite Here Local 1 members who are fighting to improve their lives. The day ended with trainings on organizing and strategic campaign planning, giving students more of the skills they need to build power and make a difference on their campuses.
 
The hard work of the DePaul students who hosted the event and the other students from across the city who organized their peers to attend is still paying off. In the days following the conference, students and workers from the different campuses have begun to become friends on Facebook and are building the kinds of connections that will change campus food service for the better. 
 
If for some reason you still don’t believe our “huge success” claim, though, take a look at what the conference attendees have to say about the day’s events:
 
“Hearing how the students really wanted to help the workers out made me feel invigorated with a new sense of determination. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers presentation really made me think about the connection between us making the food and the workers who make everything we do in the kitchen possible.” – Alan Camacho, food service worker, DePaul University (See Alan’s full reflection here.)
 
“At the conference I got a chance to meet workers, fellow students and organizers on equal footing and build real relationships that shows me that my work is part of something bigger. Going back my campus I have a renewed sense that I'm not alone, and that together we can win." – Luis Brennan, student, University of Chicago. (See Luis’s full reflection here.)
 
“It felt really good to get things off my chest about my working environment. I was very pleased at how the students actually cared and listened to what the employees had to say. … The conference with the students was one the best times of this year.” – Chanteen Hardway, food service worker, DePaul University. (See Chanteen’s full reflection here.)
 
“The general sentiment was intimacy, a real sense of responsibility and commitment to one another as human beings. Our struggles are just as much our own as they are everyone's. I was both humbled and engaged by the workers' testimonies, and look forward to deepening my relationship with this community, and committing myself more fully to the union..” - Abbey Schumacher, student, DePaul University. (See Abbey’s full reflection here.)
 
“The turnout by itself was remarkable and inspiring, but the key thing for me to experience was dialogue with students – sharing my personal experiences and listening to their responses, it was supremely awesome to realize the mutual concern.” -- Ana Prillaman, barista, DePaul University. (See Ana’s full reflection here.)
 
“I left feeling great to know that these people understood what we are going through and are willing to do all that they can to help us.” – Nathan Arnold, food service worker, DePaul University. (See Nathan’s full reflection here.)
 

USC Food Service Workers Ratify New Five-Year Contract with Major Wage and Benefit Gains

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:24
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The Hunter College workers weren’t the only college cafeteria workers who had a big victory in the past several weeks. The University of Southern California food service workers, members of Unite Here Local 11, ratified a new contract on October 20. 
 
The USC employees won wage increases of up to $2.45 per hour and upheld the Local 11 standard of free, full family medical coverage throughout the life of the contract. "With Unite Here we have a long tradition of organizing for strong contracts with big improvements, and this victory is just another example," said Alfredo Valle, a food server at USC for more than 25 years.
 

As was the case at Hunter College, this victory was not given to the workers; rather it was earned through action and a united workforce. In September, 80 food service workers took their demands to USC President Steven Sample—sending the USC administration a message that they were willing to fight for a good contract. Here are a couple brief videos from the USC workers with their reaction to the contract victory: 

 

Video: Hunter College Cafeteria Workers and Students React to Negotiations with AVI

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 14:38
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As we announced late last week, unless AVI changes it stance on the Hunter College workers’ health benefits and pension, there will be an all-day boycott of all AVI food outlets at Hunter College on October 29th 2009. Here’s why it’s necessary: 
 
The Hunter College cafeteria workers have received free family health benefits for years.   AVI, the food service company that just came into Hunter College, has continually refused to respect this established job standard. At the most recent negotiation between the workers and the company, on October 8th, AVI continued to put forth a proposal that would result in the workers paying a significant, and increasing, sum for their health benefits. 
 
Under AVI’s proposal the workers would go from having free family health benefits last year and in years past to having to pay $141.98 per month by 2011-2012. Here’s a summary of the Hunter College AVI workers’ health care costs per month under AVI's most recent official proposal:1
 
  •  2008-2009--  $0
  •  2009-2010--  $50.46
  •  2010-2011--  $93.53
  •  2011-2012--  $141.98
 
The workers, as you can imagine, were pretty upset upon hearing AVI’s latest official offer.  Here’s an immediate post-negotiations reaction from Debbie, Paula, Lisa and Aisha, four of the cafeteria workers, outside of the UNITE HERE Local 100 office in New York.2
 
 

 
Several students and faculty from Sarah Lawrence College and Hunter College were in attendance at the negotiations as well. Here’s the response from Hunter College student Owen Hill. 
 

 

1.  Figures are based on 4.35 weeks per month; annual contribution rates run on September to September schedule.
2. Several small corrections. When Debbie states that the company is asking them to contribute $12 towards their pension fund, she means towards their health benefit fund, per week, this year; the exact number is $11.60 per week for ’09-’10. Several times Debbie complains that the company offered “the same” proposal. Taken literally this is not accurate, since, though the proposal was similar, there were several key differences.   

Radio Piece: Breaking Down AVI at Hunter College

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 13:40
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The night of the Hunter College rally UNITE HERE Local 100 lead organizer Gilbert Palacios and Hunter College cashier and Local 100 committee member, Deborah Johnson, appeared on WBAI's Building Bridges.  They talk about the situation with AVI, the moral responsibility of Hunter College, the strength of the union, and they even give a couple shout outs to Stir It Up!  The relevant part begins at 14:48.  

Here's the link:

http://www.archive.org/stream/BuildingBridgesObamaIcePoliciesHunterCollegeCafeteriaWorkersProtest

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