The New Haven public school cafeteria employees involved in the protest say a new deal is necessary.
New Haven public school cafeteria workers represented by the union, Unite Here Local 217, held a protest outside of the Board of Education building on Wednesday.
The protest began around 2:30 p.m. and members were heard chanting, “If we don’t get it, shut it down,” and “What do we want? Contracts. When do we want them? Now.”
At least 30 cafeteria workers, along with supporters, were on site to demand an increase in salary amid delayed contract negotiations.
Unite Here Local 217 has been discussing the contract since April 2024 and negotiations began in June after the previous contract ended, according to Josh Stanley, the main negotiator on the matter.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“We feel like there’s some path forward, we’re always going to be optimistic but at the same time, it's been nine months," Stanley said.
Stanley said that to date, the two parties have only exchanged proposals, but there is not a date on when a new contract will be finalized.
“Our members are poorer than they were in 2020, they’re working second jobs, their working third jobs, we need a fair contract so they can spend time with their families and get back to a different standard of living,” Stanley said.
Local
Latasha Vereen, who works at John C. Daniels School, was one of the people in attendance.
She said it was important for her to show up for the cause given the rise in cost of living.
“You don’t realize it until you're actually going to the grocery store, that you need to pay a bill, that you need that raise, so that raise is vital to many of us,” Vereen said.
Betty Alford, who has worked with New Haven Public Schools for 32 years, said the school district needs to finalize the new contract.
“Some of us are working paycheck to paycheck and we can surely use a raise,” Alford said.
Alford said she loves her job and the kids she serves; she just hopes the district will appreciate the work her and other service workers provide by signing a new fair contract.
“I love feeding my kids, I love giving them breakfast, lunch,” Alford said.
New Haven Public Schools provided the following statement on the ongoing negotiations:
"The New Haven Board of Education values the important work of the food services workers who work in our school cafeterias, and it looks forward to continuing a respectful and constructive negotiation with Local 217, UNITEHERE, AFL-CIO, to establish the terms of the successor collective bargaining agreement for its food service workers.
We believe that working conditions for our food service workers reflect the Board’s recognition of the important role these workers have in serving the needs of our students:
- The wages for food service workers working for the New Haven Public are at the top of the comparison group of public-school food service workers in New Haven County despite the fact that the measured wealth of the City of New Haven is near the bottom of the towns in New Haven County.
- Food service workers in New Haven receive other benefits, such as vacation, that are uncommon for public school food service workers.
- The Board of Education provides food service workers with health insurance benefits with a lower hour threshold than most other boards of education in New Haven County.
The district’s level of funding per pupil substantially lags the state average, and we are facing severe budget challenges across our operations. Local 217 demonstrations will not affect the commitment of the Board’s team to negotiate with the Union in good faith to reach a prompt settlement that reflects the legitimate interests of food service workers and of the taxpayers in New Haven."
