Workers are demanding higher wages and a continuation of their current healthcare coverage in the next contract.
Workers are demanding higher wages and a continuation of their current healthcare coverage in the next contract.
Workers in the Loyola dining halls — who haven’t received a raise since 2023 — are fighting to renegotiate their contract with Aramark, the company responsible for all dining services at Loyola. So far, they’ve been unsuccessful.
The workers, who are represented by the union UNITE HERE Local 1, are demanding higher wages and a continuation of their current healthcare coverage in the next contract. The previous contract ended in 2024, but its terms will continue until a new contract is signed.
Union representatives met with Aramark representatives for a negotiation meeting, but Aramark declined to meet the demands of the workers. Aramark suggested the group circle back to the discussion at the end of the school year, according to Jojo Pedraza, a dining hall worker and member of the union.
There are currently around 250 Loyola Aramark employees, including service workers, catering workers, cooks, baristas, utility workers and cashiers, according to Sarah Lyons, a representative from UNITE HERE Local 1 who was present during all conversations between The Phoenix and dining hall workers.
Pedraza, 37, was unable to share specific details from the negotiations and proposals, but said she and other employees were displeased with the company’s efforts to delay the contract negotiation.
In response to the lack of success in the negotiation, the workers participated in a picket line outside of Simpson Dining Hall Feb. 12. They were joined by an inflatable Scabby the Rat — a symbol labor unions use to mark institutions they believe participate in unfair labor practices. Pedraza was one of the workers present at the demonstration. In total, around 150 workers attended the picket line, Lyons said.
Pedraza has worked as a cook in DeNobili Dining Hall for three years. She said the last time she received a raise was Nov. 1, 2023.
“The issue with that, I’m sure you know, you as a student — every year your tuition goes up,” Pedraza said. “The same thing applies to taxes, groceries, your rent, your homes, just living in general becomes more expensive each year. If you’re stuck at the same pay rate, it makes trying to live in general impossible.”
Pedraza, who suffers from epilepsy — a chronic neurological disorder that can lead to seizures — said it’s extremely important to her that dining hall workers maintain their healthcare protections in the next contract so she can continue to afford her medicine.
In addition to her work at Loyola, Pedraza said she has to work a second job to make ends meet. She said this isn’t uncommon amongst Loyola’s dining hall workers.
“We’re there for you students, but also, it’s hard to be there for other people when we can’t even make it ourselves,” Pedraza said.
In order to participate in the picket, the workers had to terminate their previous contract, which left them with fewer employee protections, according to Lyons.
As Aramark has failed to meet the demands of the dining hall workers, they plan to go on strike.
In 2022, Loyola Aramark employees made an average of $17,000 annually, according to a report from UNITE HERE Local 1, published in April 2022. At that time, 61% of workers said they couldn’t afford healthy food for their families, and 77% of the employees reported being unable to pay their bills, The Phoenix previously reported. In 2023, they were given a raise, but union representatives declined to say how much the increase was.
Third-year political science major Ariana Santos became involved in the workers path toward a new contract about a month-and-a-half ago. She attended an event in support of their cause hosted by the Loyola Alliance of Socialists, where she had the chance to meet with some of the participating dining hall workers.
Santos said the turnout at the event was small due to the extreme cold Chicago was experiencing at the time. She wanted to find ways to get more people involved, so she met with a union representative and began serving as a liaison between the union members and the student body.
“I had so much time to talk to all of the dining hall workers, and they were just so sweet and welcoming,” Santos said. “We got to really sit down and have a long conversation about why we were all there, how important the cause was for everybody and brainstorm ideas about how to raise awareness.”
For the last couple of weeks, Santos has been coordinating with professors who are supportive of the cause and willing to allow dining hall workers to speak with students during class about their efforts and what they need in terms of support.
Santos and Pedraza attended a history class Feb. 19, where Pedraza presented a slideshow with additional information for class attendees. It included a petition for students to sign as a way of voicing their support. Overall, Santos said students have seemed to be supportive of the dining hall workers’ demands.
“People have a positive relationship with the dining hall workers that they see every day,” Santos said. “To learn that they aren’t getting what they deserve in their contract — I think a lot of students have been very supportive. The response has been lovely.”
Santos said the picket line did a good job of grabbing people’s attention.
“We also got a lot of student visibility from the picket itself, which was one of the main goals,” Santos said. “The goal was to be loud and be seen and be heard, so that it’s something students couldn’t look away from.”
Loyola Alliance of Socialists didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s requests for comment at the time of publication.
Nirveta Huskic, 49, has worked at Loyola for 19 years. She said she loves working at the university because there are so many activities students participate in, making the job more interesting.
Huskic was born and raised in Bosnia during the Bosnian War. She came to the United States as a refugee in 1997. She said her experiences living through the war gave her a fighting spirit she’s now applying to her demands for changes in the Aramark contract.
Huskic said in addition to the low wages, due to the breaks university students have throughout the year, many employees are left without work for large periods of time.
“We are kind of working maybe basically eight months in a year, when you take off spring break, winter break, Christmas,” Huskic said. “So we basically work only eight months, but we have bills for 12.”
She said if she didn’t have a second job outside of Loyola, she wouldn’t be able to survive as a single mother of two sons, ages 23 and 17. Their school is expensive, and she struggles to keep up with payments.
While going on strike is a last resort, Huskic said she isn’t afraid to do so.
“Nobody wants to go on strike,” Huskic said. “I don’t want to go on strike. It would be really nice if we have all this without a strike… If we have no other choice, then that means we have to.”
She said this is the first time in 16 years since the union was formed the employees have seriously considered performing a strike. Loyola Aramark employees first unionized with UNITE HERE Local 1 in 2010, The Phoenix previously reported.
In an email to The Phoenix, a Loyola spokesperson said because Aramark is a third-party contractor, the university isn’t involved in the negotiations taking place.
“We appreciate the contributions of Aramark employees on our campuses,” the email said. “Our priority remains supporting students, faculty, staff, and guests by ensuring continuity of campus dining services while treating all members of our community with respect.”
Due to the nature of the company’s contract with the university, Aramark caters not only the food for every dining hall, but also for all student-led activities across both the Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses, The Phoenix previously reported.
In an email to The Phoenix, Aramark said they’re now looking ahead to the future negotiations set to take place.
“Aramark values our employees, and we look forward to continuing to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement that works for everyone,” the statement said in its entirety.
In May, UNITE HERE Local 1 filed a complaint against Loyola Aramark, the nature of which is described as labor-management relations — which is a labor dispute arising from interactions between employees, employers and labor unions, according to the U.S. Office of Human Resources Management website.
There are no publicly available details about the case, a UNITE HERE Local 1 representative didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s request for comment on the case.
Union representatives were unable to provide information about wages for dining hall workers at other universities in the Chicago area.
Fr. David Inczauskis, SJ, is a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy. He’s been an advocate for the dining hall workers’ mission to renegotiate their contract and was present at both the initial Loyola Alliance of Socialists meeting and the picket line, where he held a sign referencing Pope Francis’ support of the working class and unionization.
“There is no union without workers, and there are no free workers without a union,” Inczauskis’ sign read.
Saint Ignatius House, where Inczauskis currently resides, shares an alleyway with Simpson Dining Hall, where food service workers frequently take their breaks. He said he saw many familiar faces from his interactions with employees in the alleyway when he was at the picket.
Francis regularly voiced his support for unionization during his papacy, and he was the first Jesuit Pope to hold the role, The Phoenix previously reported.
Inczauskis, 33, said he believes his support of the workers relates directly to his Catholic faith.
“I think that as Catholics, we have a responsibility to follow Catholic social teaching,” Inczauskis said. “One of the principles of Catholic social teaching is that workers deserve a living family wage. Which means that workers are entitled to a compensation that would allow not only themselves, but also their families to live a life of dignity.”
He said this right to dignity is what first led him to be involved in the movement.
Samar Mesleh, 44, currently works at Connections Cafe in the Information Commons and is in her ninth year working at Loyola.
As a single mother of three children — two of whom still live at home with her — Mesleh said she struggles to put food on the table for her family. She said recently, she’s had to resort to visiting food banks to supplement what she can’t buy herself.
“It just breaks my heart,” Mesleh said. “My daughter sometimes asks for something, and my answer is, ‘I don’t have the money.’”
Mesleh said she got involved in the contract negotiations process when the previous contract expired in 2024. She said she realized if nobody stepped up and said something, they’d never see any change in their working conditions.
For her, one of the most important things in the workplace is being shown respect by her coworkers and managers. Part of that respect includes being given higher wages.
“They shouldn’t be treating us like this,” Mesleh said. “We’re doing our job. We’re doing our best. We work for this company and at least we should be respected.”
Saint Ignatius House, where Inczauskis currently resides, shares an alleyway with Simpson Dining Hall, where food service workers frequently take their breaks. He said he saw many familiar faces from his interactions with employees in the alleyway when he was at the picket.
Santos said she doesn’t think Aramark’s treatment of employees aligns with the Jesuit values Loyola preaches to students like her.
“It definitely strikes me as a little hypocritical,” Santos said. “I love the school. I love the university. I love the education that I’ve gotten here and specifically the Jesuit education that I’ve gotten here. But it does strike me as hypocritical when those values aren’t extended to people’s everyday lives.”
She said she thinks it’s important for students to pay attention to the ways the university interacts with their employees and spends their money.
“I think we should be aware of where our tuition dollars are going and where they’re not going,” Santos said.
Representatives plan to meet at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of Francis Hall Feb. 25 to discuss the plans for the imminent strike, Santos said. All are welcome to attend.
Mesleh said she thinks the demand for higher pay isn’t outlandish, especially considering how many Aramark dining hall employees live paycheck-to-paycheck. For her, affordability is key.
“I think it’s a basic human right,” Mesleh said. “I don’t want to be just surviving. I want to live and I want to give my kids a normal, good life.”
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