Hastings food service workers picket for better pay, benefits
HASTINGS, Minn. -- Food service workers in the Hastings school district walked off the job Tuesday morning. The strike comes after months of failed negotiations for a new contract.
Together, the 35 workers on strike serve roughly 4,000 students in the district. They claim while other district leaders including the superintendent have received significant raises, starting pay for food services workers is less than $15 an hour.
According to the district, under its proposal, the starting salary would increase from $13.85 an hour to $15.03 an hour with an increase to $15.34 an hour in the second year of the contract.
Negotiations started back in June, and they filed a strike notice in late January. The workers said their last meeting with the district was Monday, both sides were still at a stalemate.
They said they deserve more than a roughly 2% raise and a one-time bonus isn't going to cut it.
"We are here because we want to be able to feed our kids," said Laurie Potthoff, who works as a cook at the high school and is the cook steward for the local SEIU union chapter. "It broke our hearts that it had to come to this for our children. They're now getting cold lunches instead of a hot, good meal that we serve every day."
District leaders released the following statement on the strike and said administration and staff are working hard to ensure that the school will continue to remain in session for the duration of the strike. They did not commit on how they are feeding students during the strike.
The superintendent mentioned in the latest district newsletter that he is hopeful they can reach a responsible and justifiable agreement.
There's no end date for the strike and the workers said they'll be picketing twice a day -- in the morning and again in the afternoon -- at different schools in the district until they can reach a deal they say is fair. They'll be out at Hastings High School on Wednesday.
The district says Tuesday it declined a union request to continue mediation with the Bureau of Mediation Services.