Unite Here 23 Cafeteria Workers Win New Contract

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Over the course of the last week, one hundred and twenty Unite Here Local 23 members in six cafeterias operated by IL Creations unanimously ratified their new collective bargaining agreement. After working without a contract for up to four years in some of the locations, “by standing together, taking part in rallies and other job actions” the workers won a master agreement covering all six shops with significant improvements to wages, pension, and the cost of health insurance, the union said. “This is a great victory for all food service workers in DC and shows that when you fight....you can win.” The contract covers workers at cafeterias in the Department of Energy at the Forrestal building in DC, Department of Energy in Germantown, the Department of State, Library of Congress, New Executive Office Building and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
- photo of workers at U.S. Department of Energy courtesy of Local 23