What was scheduled to be a protest turned into a celebration Wednesday as Lehigh University Sodexo employees, students, faculty and community members gathered to celebrate a tentative agreement on the workers’ first collective bargaining contract.
The agreement was reached Tuesday evening after months of negotiations between Sodexo and Unite Here, the union representing Lehigh’s food service workers. Union organizers said the agreement addresses the workers’ key demands, including fair wages, affordable health care and protections for current and future employees.
The agreement is not yet official. Workers will vote on whether to ratify the contract on Nov. 5. Les Lewis, lead senior external organizer at Unite Here, said they will withhold the agreement’s specific terms until workers have had the opportunity to review them…