FACES OF THE FALLEN / Gail Muhammad



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Michael ValentGail Muhammad is the Union Representative for the union, Local 3 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International. Local 3 represents Newark’s Public School Cafeteria Workers who are fighting for a living wages, retirement pensions, and affordable medical insurance. Workers who are contacted under Aramark, a private company make $6.50-$8.50. Amamark currently runs thirty of Newark’s 82 public schools. A total of forty-two schools are privatized. The company feels that the cafeteria workers do not deserve more money because they are “unskilled” workers. The district has an $8.8 million food service deficit and is trying to decrease it, however, the lives of cafeteria workers have become the answer to solving the deficit. There are also a number of people who having been working as substitute cafeteria workers for up to ten years, but they have never been hired. By never being hired, these workers are not eligible to receive any benefits. Just as it is important for the cafeteria workers of Newark to feed the school’s children, it is equally important that they be able to feed themselves and their family. Newark’s cafeteria workers are like millions of other workers who deserve a living wage and health care, but are denied these basic economic human rights.