In the bustling capital of California, Sacramento, a recent uproar surrounding the state’s newly instated $20 per hour minimum wage for fast-food workers has overshadowed a ripple effect that is set to impact public schools — a cascading concern over attracting and retaining cafeteria employees amidst an increasingly stringent state budget.
This new financial directive, woven into law just this Monday, secures a minimum hourly wage of $20 for all personnel at fast food chains that boast a minimum of 60 franchisees nationwide. Yet the legislation throws a disconcerting shadow upon the often-underpaid cafeteria staff who feed America’s future generations within the public school system.
The stakes are high, as the demand for daily food provision in California’s schools surges, buoyed by the state’s pioneering decision to assure free meals for all its students, irrespective of their familial income. This groundbreaking initiative is forecasted to result in a staggering spike – over 70 million additional meals in the current school year when juxtaposed with data from 2018, according to reports from the state Department of Education.
Adding to an uneasy dynamic, these critical roles in the education sector experience high turnover and the pool of potential replacements shrinks further in the wake of the comforting financial lure extended by fast-food chains. Fear grows that the increased entry-level wages in the fast food industry will disproportionally draw staff away from school cafeterias.
“Genuine worry is spreading, many are predicting even tougher times ahead in employee recruitment,” reveals Carrie Bogdanovich, president of the California School Nutrition Association.
Already, school districts state-wide are striving to evolve and compete with this new reality. Take for a case in point, the Sacramento Unified School District that preemptively reciprocated the fast-food industry, awarding its food service staff a 10% raise last year. This recent financial boost was followed by a further 6% increase this July 1, drawing their hourly wages up to the $20 level in a bid to retain their workforce.
Described by district’s chief human resources officer, Cancy McArn, as the most significant raise in nearly three decades, the district has shifted its mindset from solely focusing on local competition to considering commercial alternatives available to prospective employees.
“We now find ourselves not just in contest with other districts, but with the fast-food industry as well,” McArn notes.
Heading south to San Luis Coastal Unified, the school district reacted to a 52% uptick in students partaking in school meals by doubling its food service personnel, efficiently managing to prepare approximately 8,500 meals a day for 7,600 students spread across 15 school locations. Strategically, they’ve limited their labor-intensive entry-level positions that are significantly harder to fill, focusing more on recruiting for specialized roles, thus enhancing their appeal to job seekers.
Meanwhile, Tia Orr, executive director of the Services Employees International Union California (which represents both school food service workers and fast food employees), stresses that school districts need to contemplate wage hikes due to this legislative shift. “This is a positive change and one that’s been long overdue,” she says.
However, it isn’t easy for all school districts to follow suit. In the Lynwood Unified School District in Los Angeles County, the starting salary for food service employees is cemented at $17.70 per hour, capping at a maximum of $21.51 per hour. Unable to meet the wage increase, district representatives explain they are taking a wait-and-see approach to the new competitive landscape.
Beyond just salaries, school districts can make roles more appealing by offering health insurance, paid vacation, no night shifts or weekend labor, and a pension assuring monthly income post-retirement. Jobs in school food service also provide stable schedules and summers off, which offer workers the scope to pursue additional part-time work if desired.
Eric Span, director of nutrition services for the Sweetwater Union High School District in San Diego County, believes these factors should be emphasized when positioning school cafeteria jobs. Acknowledging the instability of the restaurant industry, he suggests, “We should be highlighting job security.”
Confirming this perspective, Michael Reich, a labor economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley, adds, “Working in a school cafeteria offers you more stability, job security and possibly less stress than a profit-driven organization… but that’s not to downplay their desire for competitive pay.”
Consequently, it would appear that the ripple effect of California’s new minimum wage law will ultimately reshape the complexity of staff recruitment within the public education sector, compelling it to face the unexpected challenger – the fast-food industry.
