5 things: Labor deal tentatively reached at DePaul, ratified at Northwestern

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:

Dining and service workers at Northwestern University have ratified a labor agreement reached last week with contract firm Compass Group/Chartwells while their peers at nearby DePaul University reached a tentative contract agreement, also with Chartwells. Higher wages and health coverage are the main issues in both cases.

Read more: NU dining workers ratify agreement with Compass Group and Tentative Chartwells contract agreement reached

Portland Public Schools in Oregon is temporarily halting a snack program for low-income students provided through the USDA’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program at 22 of its elementary and middle schools because of a shortage of cafeteria workers. “Since we have to order some of the items weeks in advance, we decided to pause the service next week to allow us a chance to support our regular services with any staffing impacts,” explains Whitney Ellersick, senior director of nutrition services for the district.

Read more: Snack Program at Low-Income Portland Schools Will Pause Oct. 18 Due to “Shortage of Cafeteria Workers”

Related:5 things: Northwestern dining workers reach tentative labor agreement

With the number of COVID-19 patients dropping, the Oregon National Guard has started pulling troops out of hospitals around the state, with most out by the middle of November. They had been sent by Gov. Kate Brown in mid-August when the state was experiencing record COVID patient numbers, overwhelming staff, and had taken on duties such as delivering meals and moving supplies.

Read more: Oregon National Guard begins pulling troops out of hospitals

At Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools in Minnesota, where up to some 6,000 lunches are served every day, 124 parents are volunteering to fill 220 lunch slots over the next month that would otherwise be filled with permanent cafeteria workers. The Director of Child Nutrition Services Department, Emily Malone, says it has 19 unfilled positions across the district in that department alone.

Read more: Labor shortage hits local school cafeteria, makes serving lunch a struggle

Sodexo subsidiary Sodexo Live! has won the contract to provide catering at the Athletes’ Village for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. For a five-week period, Sodexo Live! will employ 1,000 people per day at the Village, serving 40,000 daily meals for 14,850 athletes from 206 Olympic delegations and 182 Paralympic delegations.

Related:5 tech things: Aramark installs high-tech micro-farm units on campuses

Read more: Official Paris 2024 supporter, Sodexo Live!, will provide catering at the Athletes’ Village

Bonus: 8 cheesy, beefy, melty ways with cheesesteak

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]