Posts tagged House dining workers
As House dining shake-up nears, food workers take fight to court
July 29, 2025 // They allege FCW Investments LLC, which will run a Jimmy John’s in the Rayburn Building, and Elite Management Group, which will operate a Starbucks out of the former Dunkin’ in the Longworth Building, are failing to comply with a local law that protects some workers from displacement when contracts change hands. “The simple fact is every one of these contractors should be offering existing employees their jobs,” said Jesse Seitel, an organizing director at Unite Here Local 23, the House food service workers’ union. “We hope that these companies come to their senses.” On their boycott list are Starbucks, Jimmy John’s, PX Tacos, Java House, CHA Street Food and Black Crown Collective, all of which are set to open on the Hill in the coming weeks.
House cafeteria workers eyeing pickets, walkouts if contract talks sour
February 22, 2023 // The collective bargaining agreement for the House’s 35 caterers expired at the end of the year, while the contract for 120 dining services workers ends in May. While the two sides are talking, the terms of the old contracts will continue to apply. The House workers in Unite Here Local 23 basically want the same deal that their colleagues in the Senate got last year, which boils down to a demand for higher wages. Their current contracts set the lowest starting wage at $13.85 per hour; the union wants that minimum raised to $20. Sodexo runs 10 House dining facilities, including the Capitol Market in the basement, the Longworth and Rayburn office cafeterias, and branded shops like the Au Bon Pain in Cannon. Sodexo’s contract with the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer is up for renewal in 2025, when the CAO could either terminate the deal, renegotiate or exercise a six-year extension option.