Food Service Workers with Duval County Schools Speak Out Over Poverty Wages

Today, dozens of food service workers for the Duval County Public Schools spoke out about the impact that poverty wages are having on their ability to serve the students and staff. The workers, employed by private contractor Chartwells K12, are simply asking that starting pay move to $14/hour, $1 above the minimum wage. This is still less than the $15/hr level mandated in a 2022 law that applies to public employees in school districts across the state. 

“This is 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,” said Annette Taylor, a food unit lead and Vice President of AFSCME Local 2941, the union representing the Chartwells employees. “Even with families struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising costs on everything, Chartwells management is looking to nickel and dime their employees to the point we cannot live, even with second or third jobs.”

Speakers pointed to Chartwells’ own data showing that ongoing issues faced by high turnover and excessive number of vacancies. The data, available to Duval County Schools when they approve the Chartwells contract, underscores the problems faced when public services are outsourced. Working conditions that the School Board would never allow for their own workers continue to flourish. 

“This is about the safety of the food we provide because this job takes training, and skills and attention to detail,” said Gill Bush, a food service worker. “You hear almost every week about another food safety issue with sliced meat or fast food or salads, and who do you think is on the front line protecting your children from getting sick at school? It is the food service workers who are being told a 3% pay raise is just too much after years of service. Or that they have to give up sick days, forcing us to come to work even when we could be endangering the health of those around us through food contamination.”

The workers said that if Chartwells doesn’t change course and put people over profits then they will be forced to hold a strike authorization vote. This vote would allow workers to decide to go out on strike right as the holiday season gets underway. 

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