CHICAGO, IL (WBBM Newsradio) – It’s the first time in more than a decade that lunchroom workers have taken to the picket line according to UNITE HERE Local 1 organizer Sarah Lyons, “Many Chicago lunchroom workers are struggling to make ends meet”, Lyons said.
A report was delivered to Chicago Public Schools last month in which 22% of surveyed workers tasked with feeding the city’s children admitted to visiting a food bank to feed their own families.
Among those in the picket line on a sidewalk outside Chicago Public School headquarters at 42 W. Madison St. in the Loop, Irma Garcia, who has worked as a cook in CPS lunchrooms for more than 20 years. She shares what she and her coworkers expect from a new contract, “More staffing and more money”, said Garcia.
After the story aired on WBBM Newsradio, Chicago Public Schools responded with a statement that included District leadership acknowledgement of the essential role that lunchroom staff play in each school’s daily success ‘by providing nutritious meals and creating a welcoming environment where students and staff can thrive.’
CPS writes further that the District is working closely with its labor partners at UNITE HERE and will meet with them again on Tuesday ‘to move closer to a final agreement that advances the District’s objectives and ensures fair compensation for employees.’