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Researchers from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute were awarded $248,261 for their ongoing Fair Employment and Economic Dignity (FEED) study, which examines school food service labor practices and worker experiences across two large public-school systems in the United States. Funds are provided by the USDA and are administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Food Insight Group, and the Chef Ann Foundation.
Despite their critical role in student nutrition, school food service workers face persistent challenges affecting program quality and workforce stability, including low wages and precarious schedules.
Institute researchers Nevin Cohen and Katherine Tomaino Fraser will analyze how certain employment practices in large public school systems affect worker retention, job satisfaction, and school meal program quality; identify models for workforce development and career advancement applicable across districts; and examine how different approaches to school food work and programs like meal preparation, food procurement, and program operations influence worker satisfaction and program sustainability.
Using a worker-centered, mixed-methods approach, the study will combined a worker survey with in-depth interviews, engaging workers and worker representatives, where applicable.
The study team will document worker-driven innovations and examine the effects of employment policies and practices. Robust analysis of workforce patterns and their relationships to program quality in these two large districts will generate evidence-based recommendations for professional development and career advancement, strategies for improving job quality through labor-management partnerships, and insights applicable to unionized and non-unionized settings.
