1,500 campus dining workers have unionized in VA since 2022; VSU and NSU Workers Say: “Don’t Leave Us Behind”

RICHMOND—Workers at two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Norfolk State University and Virginia State University are seeking to join over 1,500 campus dining workers at six universities across Virginia who have recently organized their union. Workers on both campuses are calling for a fair process to unionize. The workers are employees of Thompson Hospitality, a subcontracted campus food service provider.

Thomas Hospitality‘s workforce at these locations is majority Black. It has contracts on campuses throughout the Eastern US, including more than a dozen HBCUs. Workers at both Norfolk State and VSU say management does not do enough to ensure the respect and dignity of the workers who prepare, serve, and keep dining services open on campus. High turnover due to low pay, lack of training, irregular schedules, and unpredictable job duties is at the heart of the matter.

“Me wanting a union? This is about working conditions, poor pay, and respect. What do I have left for my kids, my man, my community if work takes it all?” asked Marcella Greene, a food service worker at Norfolk State University.

Dining workers across Virginia have already unionized with UNITE HERE, beginning with workers at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2022. Since then, workers at the College of William and Mary, James Madison University, Longwood University, Old Dominion University, and the University of Mary Washington have organized to join UNITE HERE.

“Workers at Norfolk State and Virginia State are calling for a fair and neutral process to decide on unionization,” said Marlene Patrick Cooper, President of UNITE HERE Local 23. “This as an opportunity for them to make positive change for themselves, and to join with workers at higher education institutions across the state, where other Local 23 members fought for and won their union. Our members in Virginia have already negotiated and won contractual gains for higher wages, affordable quality health insurance, and a pension plan that they can retire on with dignity. It also isn’t unnoticed that with two majority Black workforces, this is another chance to broaden equity across Virginia and ensure Virginians can not only work, but live and thrive in the communities they born and raised in. Workers at Norfolk State and VSU won’t be left behind.”

Workers at Norfolk State and Virginia State say they navigate irregular schedules, work environments without proper  equipment, and the pay so low, it’s a struggle to pay electric bills, or do routine car maintenance, let alone afford health insurance.

“It’s rare to have someone stay longer than two years. They barely get any training, and the work they ask versus what they pay doesn’t make sense. We have to rob Peter to pay Paul and still can’t afford to see the doctor. This is why we’re organizing a union”, said Nikita “Miss Nikki” Whitten, a cook for four years at Virginia State University.

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