Chartwells, the company that provides on-campus catering, is in negotiations with Unite Here! Local 8, a union that represents hospitality workers across the Northwest. The union is currently negotiating for higher wages and better communication between management and staff. Negotiations are set to end Feb. 11, 2026, in the Hawks Nest Bistro.

Unite Here! Local 8 is a hospitality union based in Oregon and Washington that represents around 4,000 workers. Unite Here consists of bargaining committees that represent union members. These bargaining committees have fought for and won living wages, job security and affordable family health insurance provided by their employers.

Seattle University’s food service workers first ratified their union contracts Sept. 17, 2014, when Bon Appétit was still the food catering company on-campus. But with the change of management to Chartwells in 2018, came more negotiations for the same issues faced with Bon Appétit: employee pay, issues with staffing and overall lack of communication between staff and the company.

Alejandro Malagon, a grill cook who has worked at the Cherry Street Market for 14-years, was one of the original workers involved in the union efforts. 

“You know, we’re not asking for a lot, really. We’re just asking for what’s fair to us, because all of us are feeling the impact on our cost of living going up, anywhere from rent to groceries, to any of your basic needs being met. There isn’t a balance anymore, like there used to be,” Malagon said.

One of the workers’ primary demands is a pay increase to keep up with the rising cost of living in Seattle. Union workers say they aren’t looking for huge pay raises, just enough to live comfortably. Another important concern for many workers is affordable medical insurance. Health insurance premiums rose by an average of 21% in 2026 after last year’s average rise of 10.7%.

The union is also pushing for better communication between management and staff because the Chartwells HR representative allegedly has not been active for four years, according to six union workers. Ruth Garcia, a sous chef who has worked in the Cherry Street Market for 15 years, says when Chartwells replaced Bon Appétit, the HR department also underwent a transition. The new HR Department claimed to have issues stemming from the transition, but never updated workers, who struggled to reach them and eventually gave up. 

Francisco Malagon, a dishwasher in Cherry Street Market, and Garcia have been discussing issues ongoing since 2018, 

“There are workplaces outside of this campus where people are doing the exact same work, getting paid a lot more than what people are getting paid here, and they’re working for companies that are a lot smaller. How is it possible that they’re able to be making more?” Garcia said.

When Chartwells first became the new food catering company at Seattle U. These issues were the subject of previous Spectator reporting. In an article from 2018, food services workers at Seattle U echo the same sentiment today, voicing concerns about partial paychecks and unresponsive management. 

Workers emphasized the importance of student support for the union during negotiations. Itzel Rodriguez Lopez, a second-year forensic psychology major, tried putting up posters in support of the union. Garcia finds the students invaluable, and it touches her heart that students like Rodriguez Lopez would take time out of their day to put up posters to further the union’s fight.

Malagon recounts his experiences working for over two decades on campus and chronicled what led him to join the union.

“I’ve had challenges in the past with getting my area staffed up correctly, despite efforts to go back to managers and chefs being like, ‘Hey, we need some help, we need coverage,’” Malagon said.

A current concern that workers like Malagon face are lack of management support when it’s requested and needed. According to Malagon, the dishes in the dish pit pile up faster than his team can feasibly handle, given the number of management staff.

Andrew Gaynor, the resident district manager for Chartwells, gave a statement to The Spectator regarding the ongoing negotiations. 

“We are actively engaged in negotiations with Unite Here! Local 8, and we look forward to strong collaboration with its leaders as discussions continue to reach a new agreement,” Gaynor wrote in an email to The Spectator. 

Unite Here! Local 8 continues to negotiate with Chartwells, with student involvement, to present a stronger front until they reach a conclusion that checks all of their boxes. Students on campus who want to show up to support the union can go to Hawks Nest Bistro Feb. 11 when negotiations are to happen.