Something’s rotten in the kitchen.

SEIU Local 99
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

“I sort of accidentally landed in the cafeteria,” says Grace Menjivar, a cafeteria worker at a high school in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. “I took the job because the work hours allowed me to take my kids to school and be there to greet them when they got home and get them started on their homework.”

But even though it was an accident, now she wouldn’t do anything else. The food industry fits her personality. She’s a people person. She loves to be of service. She loves the fast-paced work environment. She likes to make the customers happy. She likes being part of a team that has to work together to complete the job — in this case, lunch!

“I really like to see the kids when they come around to my lunch cart on campus — they seem happy,” says Grace. “They get to know me. I get to know them. I let them know about lunch. ‘I made some really good tuna today, you guys’ and they’ll say ‘that sounds really good!’”

Grace has worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for eight years. And while she loves the work, she doesn’t like the bullying.

Grace had to watch a co-worker get yelled at the other day. This co-worker had checked her production sheet and saw that it said 200 sandwiches. She got to work and made the 200 sandwiches. Evidently, after she’d checked her instructions, the manager changed the quantity without telling her. So she yelled at her — in front of her co-workers.

“It actually makes me feel physically sick when I see my more timid co-workers getting treated so badly. The other day I was chatting with one of the youngest girls in our kitchen. I sort of feel like a mom to her. She was finished with her task and started helping me. We were chit-chatting while we worked, talking about what she was going to get her little girl for Christmas. The manager came out of her office and said ‘No talking!’ I explained that we were working. We were getting our job done. She said it was okay to talk as long as we were only talking about work, nothing personal.

Dozens of cafeteria workers submitted a petition to the Los Angeles Unified School District. They reported experiencing:

— Intimidation and humiliation
— Unfair distribution of hours overtime and workload
— Being told to serve expired food or food that’s not in compliance with other food safety rules

As a result of bullying at work, workers reported that they:

— Had to seek medical attention
— Often felt anxious going to work
— Went home feeling depressed and cried at least once a week
— Had to be transferred
— Had been unfairly labeled a troublemaker


To make ends meet for her family, Grace also works at a local Philly Cheesesteak restaurant. She says the atmosphere there is very respectful. It’s like night and day.

But it shouldn’t be. Schools across the country have been leading the way to end bullying. Grace’s school job should be setting the example, not her Philly Cheesesteak job. Adults should be modeling what we tell students. Everyone on campus — whether a student or a staff member — must feel safe and respected.

Through her union, Grace is working with other Food Service Workers (like Margaret Williams) to bring this kind of collaborative and pleasant atmosphere — the kind she has at her other job — to her school kitchen. She wants her school kitchen to be a place where you can have a smile on your face, where people actually feel like they can talk to each other in the break room. A place where a child could overhear conversations and instructions and learn what a good workplace looks like.

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As the Los Angeles Unified School District steps up its efforts to end school bullying, its “Lunch Ladies” complain of rampant bullying.

Like many classified school employees in California and across the country, Grace and other members of SEIU Local 99: Education Workers United use their collective bargaining rights and labor management committees to establish the good working conditions necessary to deliver quality student services. To learn more, visit www.qualityschoolsbetterlives.org.

Quality Schools, Better Lives

Tales, dreams and opinions from the dedicated education workers of SEIU Local 99. We are child care providers, custodians, cafeteria workers, school bus drivers, classroom assistants and others in K-12 schools, early learning environments and community colleges.

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SEIU Local 99

Written by

EDUCATION WORKERS UNITED

Quality Schools, Better Lives

Tales, dreams and opinions from the dedicated education workers of SEIU Local 99. We are child care providers, custodians, cafeteria workers, school bus drivers, classroom assistants and others in K-12 schools, early learning environments and community colleges.

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