Duval County food service workers secure wage increase after strike threat

In Jacksonville, Florida, a determined group of AFSCME members working in school cafeterias have successfully negotiated for increased wages, following a period of intense negotiation and public advocacy.

Food service employees of Duval County Public Schools, contracted through Chartwells K12, faced a critical decision recently: either continue working for wages that barely met their needs or initiate a strike. Their primary demand was to raise the starting wage to $14 per hour, which is $1 more than the minimum wage in Florida and still below the $15 hourly rate required for public school employees by state law enacted in 2022.

Annette Taylor, who serves as both a food unit lead and vice president of Local 2941 of AFSCME Florida, emphasized, “This was about respect, plain and simple. What they are doing is teaching the students we serve every day a valuable lesson — a dime’s worth of profit matters more than the dignity of a fellow human being.” She expressed that despite the increasing cost of living, the management at Chartwells was reluctant to offer fair compensation, thus pushing employees to juggle multiple jobs.

To raise awareness, the workers organized a press conference, highlighting how inadequate wages were causing high turnover and numerous vacancies, thereby affecting the quality of services provided to students and staff. This was supported by data from Chartwells itself. The employees argued that respectable wages are crucial not only for their livelihood but also for maintaining food safety standards in schools.

Food service worker Gill Bush stated, “This is about the safety of the food we provide because this job takes training and skills and attention to detail.” He pointed out that ongoing food safety issues in various sectors illustrated the need for skilled workers, who were being undervalued with minimal raises and losing benefits like sick days.

Their efforts garnered significant media coverage and the concern of parents, which pressured Chartwells to renegotiate. The outcome was a unanimous vote by the workers to accept the newly proposed contract, which includes several key improvements:

• Initial pay for food service workers will increase to $14 this year, $15 by October 2025, and $15.30 by October 2026.
• Pay raises between 2% and 14% for different job roles.
• Longevity bonuses for long-term employees.
• Enhanced workplace protections and stringent contract enforcement.
• Recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for certain employees.

Reflecting on the success, Taylor remarked, “This new collective bargaining agreement is the result of a lot of hard work and support from the community and parents. We are excited to enter the holiday season with some security and certainty that we will continue to serve the students and staff so they can continue to focus on learning. And we hope in the future it won’t take blood, sweat and tears to get to this point.”