1,900 Philly school cafeteria workers, climate staff have authorized a strike

Philadelphia School District cafeteria workers and climate staff have authorized a strike.

The members of Unite Here Local 634 — 1,900 women and men who work across the district’s 216 schools — voted unanimously Saturday to empower their union leadership to call a strike if it so chooses. The step was announced Sunday by Nicole Hunt, 634′s president.

Local 634′s contract expires Sept. 30; the vote represents an authorization, not a strike, and the employees will continue working unless a strike is called.

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Most of the local’s members are paid $15.50 an hour, among the lowest wages in the school system. They cook and serve students food and ensure order and safety in schools.

Negotiations with the district are ongoing; the next bargaining session is scheduled for Friday.

“Our members are the people [who] make sure that young people in the city of Philadelphia are kept fed and safe,” Hunt said in a statement. “But, our wages don’t guarantee that we can keep our own families fed and safe. Enough is enough.”

Hunt said the union will “continue to negotiate in good faith” with district officials, “but we will no longer accept less. This strike authorization vote gives our Executive Board the ability to do what is necessary if the school district is not able to meet our commonsense demands.”

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Union officials said they asked for $1.50 an hour raises for members but were told their demands were “not feasible.”

They also asked for training, including de-escalation training for climate staff, and for climate staff to be equipped with walkie-talkies. Those workers are now expected to use their own cell phones to call for help and communicate with other school staff.

“We are no longer willing to accept substandard wages and inadequate training,” said Katherine Felder, a 634 member and food service worker at Building 21, a public school in West Oak Lane. “My Unite Here Local 634 brothers and sisters will continue to stand together. We do right by Philly kids each and every day. It’s time for the School District of Philadelphia to do right by us.”

District officials have said they believe a strike can be averted.

“We continue to work diligently to reach an agreement on a successor collective bargaining agreement and we are optimistic that we will do so with our union partners before the current agreement expires on September 30,” school district spokesperson Monique Braxton has said in a statement.