04:57 PM EST on Wednesday, February 8, 2006

BY CYNTHIA NEEDHAM
Journal Staff Writer

WOONSOCKET -- Sodexho food services workers in the city's schools have voted to unionize, officials for both sides say.

In a 38-to-19 vote taken Jan. 27, the district's cafeteria workers -- employed by Sodexho -- voted to unionize under the United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 328, an AFL-CIO affiliate.

Following that vote, each of the parties was given one week to file an objection, according to Bob Redbord, a deputy regional attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Boston.

Neither did so and late Monday, the board certified Local 328 as the official bargaining representative.

"The workers in Woonsocket had been nonunion for many, many years. We've made attempts to unionize them in the past and they weren't ready for that, but they've had some problems over the last year or so and they wanted to have something in a contract," said Jim Riley, secretary-treasurer of Local 328. He declined to describe the exact nature of those problems.

Riley said the union plans to move forward "in good harmony" to begin collective-bargaining negotiations with Sodexho, in hopes of hammering out a contract for the Woonsocket workers.

Sodexho spokeswoman Bonnie Gordon said the company has similar plans. "From what I understand, it was a significant majority [that voted in favor of unionizing] so we will just move forward with the union who has negotiated with those employees." Gordon said she expects those negotiations to begin "very soon."

Nationwide, 12.5 percent of Sodexho employees are unionized, according to Gordon, who called that figure "average or a little bit above average for the food services industry."

She was unable to provide figures for the number of unionized Sodexho employees in Rhode Island.

Redbord, of the National Labor Relations Board, said Region 1, which includes Rhode Island, has seen "quite a few cases" of Sodexho employees in this part of the country unionizing, though he could not be specific.

Asked what the move will mean for Woonsocket schools, Supt. Maureen B. Macera said she did not believe it was "appropriate" for her to comment, since Sodexho employees don't work for the district. However, the superintendent said she believes it is within workers' rights to negotiate compensation packages. She also noted that she has always had good relationships with union employees.

The decision to unionize shouldn't be taken as a sign of trouble, Riley said.

"It isn't that things are going down the tubes, it's that [workers] compare themselves to people in other communities -- these are tight communities -- and find they have better wages and better benefits that the School Committee can't arbitrarily take away."

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