SCSU Food Service Workers Unite against Sodexo Cuts

In late 2025, food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 217 at Southern Connecticut State University, voted 98% to authorize a strike against Sodexo, the subcontractor for campus dining. With strong support from labor and political allies, they won a new contract. Now, less than a year later, those same workers are facing sudden cuts to schedules and hours. Staff describe a chain reaction of bumping, reposting for jobs they’ve held for years, and the possibility that up to 25 workers could be temporarily laid off while the company reshuffles positions.

The French food services group's new CEO Thierry Delaporte , prioritizing increased gains in operating profits for investors in the stock market has aimed the company's sites on cutbacks to the workers who provide foodservices, devaluing their labor.

Union steward Bransley Barnaby says the situation is nothing like the public perception of a stable workplace. He believes the company’s actions feel like retaliation for workers standing up for themselves. “We won the contract against Sodexo, and now they’re overworking us because we beat them at the negotiation table,” Barnaby said. “They gave us a raise to pacify us, and now they want to take it back behind the scenes.”

Barnaby says the workers who organized, rallied, and fought hardest for the contract are now the ones most at risk. “To the public, it looks like we’re doing great, but behind our backs, it’s a slap in the face.”

Union steward Nick McDonald says workers from campuses across Connecticut are standing together. Staff from Southern, Central, Eastern, and Western Connecticut State Universities have joined with supportive elected officials, including Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

McDonald says workers believe Sodexo’s cuts are meant to divide them. The company calls the changes a business decision, even as employees struggle with rising costs. Reduced hours and potential layoffs raise concerns about how campuses will continue serving students.

Workers say the cuts threaten both campus dining services and their ability to support their families. Despite the uncertainty, food service workers at Southern Connecticut State University remain united and committed to defending their jobs and dignity.

– Jahmal Henderson