5 things: Philadelphia Schools cafeteria workers authorize strike option

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    Philadelphia Schools cafeteria workers authorize strike option

The 1,900 cafeteria and climate staff members of Unite Here Local 634 who work across the Philadelphia School District's 216 schools have voted unanimously to empower their union leadership to call a strike if it so chooses as negotiations continue to renew a contract that expires Sept. 30. According to the union, most of the local’s members are paid $15.50 an hour, among the lowest wages in the school system. Union officials said they asked for $1.50 an hour raises for members but were told their demands were “not feasible.”

Read more: 1,900 Philly school cafeteria workers, climate staff have authorized a strike

 2.    Purdue debuts commuter block meal plan

Purdue University this fall will be offering a 20-Meal Block Plan to commuters who have previously lived in university residences. Students are allotted 20 meal swipes that can be used at residential dining locations, and up to eight can be used at the retail locations across campus.

Read more: New commuter meal plan coming this fall

 3.    Hospital cafeteria offers dining plan for older adults

Related:5 things: Seattle Schools averts service worker strike with tentative labor agreement

Allen County Regional Hospital has partnered with Southeast Kansas Area Agency on Aging (SEKAAA) to offer nutritious meals for adults 60 or older and their spouses through a new 60 Dine program that is administered through SEKAAA with funding provided by the Older Americans Act (OAA). 60 Dine meals are available at the hospital’s cafeteria on weekdays between 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Read more: 60 Dine Meal Program to Launch September 11 at Allen County Regional Hospital Cafeteria

 4.    Texas Tech launches new dining hall that aggregates campus favorites

Texas Tech Hospitality Services is kicking off the semester with the launch of 23 at Sneed, a new dining option located in Sneed Hall that features eight unique dining concepts, as well as a retail area where students can use their dining bucks to purchase drinks, snacks and other convenience store items. The week-long grand opening the week of Sept. 11 allows students to sample from the various dining locations centered at 23 at Sneed, consisting of familiar favorites aggregated from across campus. “It’s really taking the best of past dining options, both old and new, and uniting them under one location,” said Dee Nguyen, unit manager of recruitment and retention for Hospitality Services.

Related:5 tech things: Sodexo to debut plant-based burger printing robot at the University of Denver

Read more: Hospitality launches new dining hall

 5.    McGill University to offer kosher meal plan

Starting this fall, McGill University in Montreal will be partnering with the Rohr Jewish Center, also known as Chabad at McGill, to provide a Kosher Meal Plan for students living on campus that is a “special accommodation made to residence students on the mandatory meal plan who keep Kosher,” a university spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, our dining facilities are not equipped nor designed for Kosher meal preparation.” The new Kosher option is the same price as the regular meal plan

Read more: Montreal’s McGill University To Offer Kosher Meal Plan This Fall In Partnership with Chabad

Bonus: Grab, read and go: 9 quick reads from FM on grab-and-go strategy

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]