I have worked as a cook for Sodexo at Wheelock College in Boston for 11 years. Last year, we organized a union and won our first contract. Today I proudly say that my workplace has been totally changed for the better and that the Union gave us tools to fight for our rights and dignity. My life is a lot less stressful knowing that I will have great health insurance soon and that I’m being paid much fairer wages than before. I finally feel like I can afford a 401k and I’m more confident than ever about building a solid base in my life. I’ll be able to rent an apartment, finance a car and care for a family, something every hard-working man deserves to be able to do by the age of thirty.
I truly am thankful for the Union. My life and the lives of my co-workers will be changed for the better because of the presence of a union in our workplace. We work long hard days preparing and serving meals to the students at the college and they show us that they appreciate it in many ways. My co-workers and myself with the help of UNITE HERE Local 26 have made sure that moving forward Sodexo will show their appreciation in multiple ways too.
