Editor’s note: Some interviews in this story were conducted with the help of a translator. Responses originally stated in Spanish have been translated to English.
Valentina Espinosa has worked in Northwestern University dining halls for 21 years. She started as a housekeeper in the Allen Center and transferred to become a catering attendant at the downtown campus after the Allen Center was closed.
Now that she has transferred, Espinosa and the rest of her coworkers on the downtown campus will not be protected by the Workers’ Retention Ordinance passed in an 8-0 vote at an Evanston City Council meeting Tuesday night, which was designed to protect employees in food, hospitality and janitorial services.
Since the contract between Compass Group and UNITE HERE Local 1, which includes about 500 employees at NU, expired Aug. 31, 2024, workers have been pushing for a fair contract which guarantees job security for all workers, fair wages and an acceptable pension.
Espinosa is one of hundreds of cooks, cashiers, baristas, dishwashers and catering workers employed by Compass that voted to authorize a strike late Thursday night to protest this situation, along with their wages, pension and work environment, according to a press release.
“I give my heart and soul to my work here on campus,” said Veronica Reyes, who has worked as a cashier at Northwestern’s Foster-Walker Dining Hall for 15 years, in the press release. “I love the students and the Northwestern community. But I worry that I’ll never be able to retire because the company is not giving enough to our pension.”
Georgina Pichardo, who began working at NU in 2017, also voted to authorize the strike. Pichardo took time off to care for her parents but returned in 2023. She was also transferred due to the closure of the Allen Center and now cooks for catering events in Norris University Center.
Along with job security, Pichardo was motivated to vote to authorize a strike due to pension concerns. Pichardo, who hopes to work another five or 10 years — “as many years as God will give (her)” — said having a stable pension is critical.
“I’m worried about how I’ll be able to retire,” Pichardo said. “With everything that’s happening in our country, everything is so, so expensive. Having a stronger pension is really important so I can be able to support myself and live with dignity when I retire.”
Pichardo hopes that improvements to pensions, raises and job security will follow the strike.
Because Pichardo is nearing retirement, she said, these desires for change are not only for her but for generations of workers to come.
“I really hope that we are able to have a favorable outcome and a good contract, not just for myself, but for my co-workers because I’m older. There’s a lot of younger workers, and I want them to have a really good pension when they retire one day too,” Pichardo said.
The vote to authorize the strike passed with an overwhelming majority, according to the press release.
Now, a strike could begin at any time.
“We are continuing to fight together with confidence and with hope for the contract we deserve, and I’d like to thank the students for their support and for their solidarity,” Espinosa said.
Email: leahschroeder2026@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @lmschroeder_
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