MILFORD,
Conn. - Last
Friday morning, 32BJ SEIU announced that food
service workers across Connecticut’s 23 service
plazas voted overwhelmingly in favor of their
first-ever union contract, which will include strong
wages, improved time-off and scheduling, and other enhanced
benefits. The contract will cover food service workers
from various franchises on Route 15, I-95, and I-39. It is one
of the first agreements of its kind in the fast-food
industry – marking a historic milestone for the labor movement
nationwide.
“This
is a watershed moment for everyone involved – from the
workers, to our staff, to Connecticut workers and the labor
movement as a whole,” said Rochelle
Palache, Vice President and Connecticut State Director.
“Over half a decade after starting this campaign, it feels so
rewarding to finally see this through and achieve these guaranteed
rights and benefits for the people who keep our highways serviced and
fed. We couldn’t have accomplished this without
the tenacity and hard work that our workers gave in keeping this
campaign going for so long – this win, most of all, is
from them and for them.”
McDonald’s
and other major fast food companies at the service plazas subcontract
with Project Services, LLC, which has been acquired by Applegreen and
contracts directly with the State of Connecticut to operate on
state-owned land.
Over
decades, despite their billions in sales, McDonald’s and the other
fast food companies have not followed Connecticut law regarding paid
sick time and the standard wage. The combination of low wages and
lack of sick time forced workers to come to work sick so as to not
fall deeper into poverty.
During
the pandemic, many workers who had been organizing with 32BJ SEIU for
better working conditions lost their jobs. Cooks and cashiers who
continued working reported a lack of adequate protection, and the
absence of any disinfection of the stores where workers have become
sick.
The
long battle for union rights
included many solidarity expressions of public support for the food
service workers including rallies at the highway rest stops, pressure
on Governor Lamont, and a car caravan during the pandemic when the
companies were not resp;responsive to workers' healthcare needs.
In
2023 Attorney General William Tong sued Project Service for $2.7
million in back wages, owed to the workers, many of whom are
immigrant workers. The court case was won and in November, 2025 the
owner was ordered to pay workers $1.5 million in owed wages. When
hundreds of workers at 23 service plazas on I-95, I-395 and Route 14
voted to join the union in December, 2025 the company agreed to
negotiate a contract.
Governor
Ned Lamont hailed the historic contract recognizing that
“service plaza workers work hard to provide for their families,
contribute to their communities, and are always there for
those traveling our highways. They deserve good pay and
benefits. This first contract, which recognizes the important work
they provide.”
On
the evening of Thursday, March 12, 32BJ SEIU reached an agreement
with Applegreen USA Travel Plazas Central Services, the main service
plaza employer in Connecticut, on the inaugural contract covering
hundreds of food service employees across the state’s 23 food
service plazas. The contract will span from April 1, 2026 to
March 1, 2031.
Under
the terms of their contract, service plaza
workers will have: predictable schedules and
consistent hours, just cause and grievance and arbitration process,
strong vacation accruals, improved training opportunities, strong
wages under the Connecticut Standard Wage Law
In
November of last
year, 32BJ SEIU and the main service plaza reached an
agreement—over six years after the initial kick-off
of their campaign—to grant workers a fair path to unionization,
which they voted overwhelmingly to do in December. Bargaining
committee members from 32BJ, comprised of workers from
various franchises across the service plazas, began negotiations with
Applegreen in late January of this year.
Beginning
in 2019, many service plaza workers brought forward
complaints against several employers outlining a pattern of
noncompliance, including allegations of wages below the legal
standard, unsafe working conditions, and failure to provide adequate
benefits. Applegreen agreed to pay workers the standard
wage in
Connecticut in their November settlement with the State Attorney
General’s office and agreement with the union, resulting in
higher pay, which has been reflected in their paychecks since.
“It’s been
a long time coming for food service workers to get the
respect and the treatment we deserve,” said Nika Hyde, a bargaining
committee member
and
employee at Auntie Anne’s at the Madison Southbound service plaza.
“It is an honor to help my fellow Connecticut food service
employees, who work so hard, have a dignified standard of living
without constant struggle.”