San Jose cafeteria workers employed by Guckenheimer Enterprises are living paycheck to paycheck and relying on government assistance for healthcare and other basic needs.
“As a single mother, making ends meet is hard,” said Claudia Rivera, a Guckenheimer cashier. “I already use WIC to get things like milk and eggs for my daughter. I struggle with my rent, childcare costs and the high price of Guckenheimer health insurance. Recently, I’ve been considering getting a second job or getting on the county health insurance because my paycheck alone won’t let me support my daughter.” (WIC is a special supplementary food program for women, infants and children)
Guckenheimer is one of the largest food service contractors to companies in the High Tech/Biotech Corridor that runs from San Jose up to the Peninsula to South San Francisco, serving more than 120 companies in Northern California. These industries act as the economic engine of the Bay Area.
Yet, food service workers on average earn 69 percent less than the median income for the area. According to a report issued by UNITE HERE, the median income of Black and Latino families is less than the comparable self-sufficiency standard.
Average weekly wages in the food service industry fall below what it costs a single adult to meet basic needs without public assistance.
According to a survey of more than half the 150 Guckenheimer workers contracted to Genentech, 23 percent rely on government funded health insurance or are uninsured. Fifty 50 percent rely exclusively on the company health insurance plan, which costs $200-$400 per month for family coverage.
Guckenheimer Enterprises has consistently denied Rivera and the other cafeteria workers a fair living wage, safe working conditions, affordable health care and the right to organize. Its greed is not exceptional—it flows from the needs of the capitalist system.
Guckenheimer subjects its workers to difficult conditions because it needs to expand in order to beat out competitors. By cutting workers’ wages, Guckenheimer can gain a competitive edge, win more food service contracts and reap higher profits.
But the service workers are strong. Since the beginning of 2006, they have launched a struggle against Guckenheimer with the help of UNITE HERE. The workers have called local meetings to force companies like Genentech to hold contractors to a set of standards of decent wages and affordable health insurance.
This is a progressive step for the food service workers. The food service sector endures exploitation.
Join the San Jose food service workers in a demonstration against Guckenheimer this Thursday, Oct. 4, at 4pm near the City Center.
