“We made progress, we made history, we were heard, and the fight doesn’t end until there is justice for all,” said GCAE member Rondeshia Wallace during a recent walkout of Guilford County school nutrition services staff (SNS) in a demand for better wages.
A SNS manager at Peck Elementary School, Rondeshia was one of more than 250 school nutrition employees who participated in a two-day walkout in front of the Guilford County Schools headquarters. While other district hourly workers received raises in October starting at 4 percent with increases for experience and managerial responsibility, cafeteria workers only received a flat increase of about 2 percent. Also, unlike most public school employees, cafeteria workers are not funded through the state budget and according to the district, funding is determined by the number of paid meals served and reimbursements from the federal government. The district has not increased school lunch prices since the 2017-18 school year.
At the conclusion of the second day of the protest, which was organized and implemented by the food service workers and cited as one of the largest public sector work stoppages and protests in Guilford County, district officials updated the compensation plan to include a 4 percent raise for SNS assistants and a 7 percent raise for SNS managers. “Even with a 4 percent raise, my new rate will be $15.60 per hour. That doesn’t pay my bills every month,” one worker commented.
In a statement from GCAE, President Joanna Pendleton emphasized the raise was not enough. “As a local leader, I am inspired by the actions of our cafeteria coworkers. Their powerful message to the district is also a powerful message to all workers that when we stand together we win. Our cafeteria coworkers did not win everything they asked for, but they won a lot more than they had before this action. We are mid-year, not in a budget cycle, and our cafeteria workers won twice the raise they were initially granted by the district. It’s not enough but it is definitely a win and a BIG one!”
