Hastings schools food service workers begin strike Tuesday

School food service workers in Hastings are set to strike Tuesday morning for a new contract with the district.

There are a total of 35 workers represented by the union. The 10-day notice to strike was filed in late January.

Negotiations have been going on since June, and a strike authorization vote passed in December with 92% in support of the action, according to an announcement from Service Employees International Union Local 284.

The picket lines for the strike are set to begin on the public sidewalk outside of Hastings Middle School from 7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Union leaders say that the district cannot afford to lose the cafeteria workers as staffing shortages across the country persist. They add school district leaders have enjoyed raises in their salaries while food workers start at less than $15 per hour.

Classes will remain in session, as the Hastings School District said students will be served bagged breakfast and lunch during the strike.

Some staff and students rallied with cafeteria workers during a demonstration on Monday.

“These workers deserve respect,” said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. “They deserve more than a living wage. They deserve to be seen and heard for the important work they do each and every day.”

Hastings Public Schools issued the following statement regarding negotiations Tuesday morning:

“The School Board of Hastings Public Schools met this morning for a special meeting and approved
a Last, Best and Final offer to the Food Service bargaining unit represented by SEIU Local 284.
The following is a summary of the key provisions outlined in the District’s final offer:

• The District is offering a two-year collective bargaining agreement effective July 1, 2022
  through June 30, 2024.
• In terms of individual impact, the District’s final offer provides substantial pay increases
  going as high as 31.2 percent spread over two years.
  o 28 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit will receive a pay increase of 20
  percent or higher spread over two years.
  o 50 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit will receive a pay increase of 15
  percent or higher spread over two years.
  o 75 percent of the employees in the bargaining unit will receive a pay increase of 10
  percent or higher spread over two years.
  o Employees hired before January 1, 2023 and making $18.32 per hour or less will
  see a minimum pay increase of 12.6 percent spread over two years, ranging from
  12.6 percent to as high as 31.2 percent depending on the employee’s date of hire
  and current placement on the salary schedule.
• The District’s final offer removes the lowest three steps of the salary schedule in an effort
  to increase starting pay and pay for newer employees. The starting salary under the
  District’s proposal will increase from $13.85 per hour to $15.04 per hour in the first year
  of the contract. The starting salary will increase again to $15.34 per hour in the second
  year.
• All employees hired on or before June 30, 2022 will receive a total of $1,200 in retention
  payments to be split into a one-time $600 payment to be made in each year of the contract.
• Employees will not see an increase in their share of the premium contribution for single or
  family health insurance in year one of the contract. In year two, the District’s offer limits
  any increase an employee’s share of the cost of family coverage to a maximum of $15 per
  month.
• The District has agreed to increase the rate at which unused sick leave and essential leave
  is paid out by $2 per hour.
• The District has agreed to language providing employees with a contribution toward
  approved non-slip footwear in the amount of $150 per year.
  The District’s last, best and final offer is designed to address current market conditions, as well as
  to increase starting pay and wages for newer employees. For more senior employees, the District’s
  last, best and final offer will accomplish the following:
• Top hourly pay for cooks will increase to $20.17 per hour in the first year of the agreement,
  which is higher than four of the six school districts Hastings Public Schools has identified
  as comparable school districts.
• Top hourly pay for lead elementary school cooks will increase to $28.95 per hour in the
  first year of the agreement. Top pay for lead elementary cooks under the 2020-2022
  collective bargaining agreement already exceeded the rate of the highest comparable school
  district by $2.62 per hour.
• Top hourly pay for lead secondary school cooks will increase to $31.66 per hour in the first
  year of the agreement. Top pay for lead secondary cooks under the 2020-2022 collective
  bargaining agreement already exceeded the rate of the highest comparable school district
  by $1.67 per hour.
  The District’s Last, Best and Final offer to the Food Service bargaining unit is consistent with
  the financial terms and conditions that were negotiated and accepted by all six other hourly
  groups whose contracts were up during the District’s most recent cycle of negotiations. It is
  important to note that the Food Service group is composed of 35 employees, all of whom only
  work during the school year (174 days). Five of these employees work 7 to 8 hours per day,
  while the majority of the employees of this group only work 2 to 5.75 hours per day.“