JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If an agreement between the Duval County school district and the union representing its food service workers isn’t reached by the end of October, food service within all Duval County Public Schools could be in jeopardy.
Contract negotiations have broken down between the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the union representing the food service workers in the Duval County Public Schools system, and Chartwells K12, the district’s food service provider.
AFSCME said if a deal is not agreed upon, the workers could vote to strike, meaning student meals at school could be greatly impacted.
“Chartwells employees suffer from chronic understaffing in schools, increased workload with a lack of retention of quality staff due to low wages and lack of benefits that traditional school district employees enjoy,” the union said.
At a news conference on Monday, union workers emphasized their need for fair wages, more staff support from Chartwells, and more respect between chants criticizing the company for its greed.
“Chartwells, Chartwells, you can’t hide, we can see your greed inside,” workers yelled.
Annette Taylor, who has worked with the school district for 39 years, said, “All we want is a livable wage, [and to be] treated fairly.”
In 2020, Amendment 2, also known as the minimum wage initiative, was approved, which put Florida on track to raise its minimum wage annually until it reaches $15 by 2026. The food workers want to stay on that track.
However, AFSCME officials believe that workers like Taylor, who serves as the cafeteria lead and said she consistently does the work of three staff members, deserve to be paid a “living wage” sooner rather than later.
Michael Sampson, AFSCME’s deputy administrator, said that contract negotiations with Chartwells have been ongoing since July and in that time span, two extensions have been agreed upon. He also said that the union is, “hoping Chartwells does the right thing and delivers a fair contract.”
“All of these employees work hard, [they] just want respect and a fair contract,” Sampson said.
He adds that Oct. 31 is the last day of the current contract and the union will meet with Chartwells on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 to continue negotiations.
AFSCME claims it is asking Chartwells to increase school employees' starting pay to at least $15 an hour, saying the company currently pays the state minimum wage of $13 an hour.
News4JAX has contacted Chartwells and the school district via email and phone for comment on negotiations and plans should a strike occur, and around 1 p.m. on Monday, the district provided the following:
Chartwells is a vendor under contract with the district. We have every expectation that they will fulfill the requirements of their contract.
Duval County Public Schools
Around 4 p.m., Chartwells provided the following statement:
We deeply value our team members who serve students and staff at Duval County Public Schools and have a long history of listening to our employees and working productively with AFSCME Local 2941 and unions across the country. We have had very productive conversations with AFSCME Local 2941 over the past several months and look forward to partnering with them to continue to provide a very competitive and fair agreement that reiterates how much we care for and value our employees. We continue to negotiate in good faith and our next bargaining session is scheduled for this Wednesday, when everyone agreed it was best to get back together. Every day, our team is committed to serving DCPS students great-tasting meals, and it is our expectation that this will continue.
Chartwells K12 spokesperson