The School Board of the Reading School District approved a three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Local 155, Pennsylvania Joint Board of Workers United, SEIU, which represents the 130 plus food service employees of the Reading School District, who prepare, cook, and serve healthy, nutritious meals for our 18,000 students every school day. The approved agreement became effective on July 1, 2023.
“We are excited about this contract,” Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Murray states. “We believe it not only honors our food service employees, but supports the Reading School District’s vision for the food service department.”
Agreement highlights include:
- annual wage increases of $2.00, $1.00, and $1.00 of the life of the agreement
- increasing the number of paid holidays from three to six.
- maintaining annual premium share at 10% for health insurance for eligible employees
- Converting vacant part-time positions into 5 full-time cook positions to support efforts to return cooked meals to our schools.
- Receiving overtime pay after six and a half hours rather than seven hours of work
“This is one of the best contracts we have negotiated in my ten years of being with Food Service,” states Diana Keller, Unit Leader at Reading/Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center and President, Local 155, Pennsylvania Joint Board of Workers United, SEIU. “I’m looking forward to this new school year.”
In April 2023, Jennifer Wilinsky joined the Reading School District as the new Director of Food Services. One of her goals is to return more schools to scratch cooking by the end of the 2023-2024 school year. This new contract brings the District one step closer to this vision.
Individuals interested in joining a dynamic team can apply online at www.readingsd.org/jobs. Hourly starting rates are $15.00 to $16.25, and full-time is 6.5 hours per day.
