Andre Blount has been serving meals to dignitaries at World Bank headquarters for nearly 10 years and says he’s gotten exactly one raise — for 50 cents.
This week, as leaders from around the world are in D.C. for the spring meetings of poverty-fighting organizations, Blunt and her colleagues are trying to draw attention to what they see as a dire situation: workers who put food on the table at an organization whose mission is to fight poverty. They are struggling to get by themselves.
About a quarter of World Bank food workers employed as contract workers through Compass Group North America receive public benefits — such as SNAP, or food stamps — just to make ends meet, union leaders say.
“It’s sickening,” Blunt, 33, said as he joined red-shirted union members on a picket line outside the Development Bank on a hot afternoon this week. “They go around the world trying to help people, but you have hundreds of employees in DC who are struggling.”
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib
Inside, meanwhile, suited-up professionals roam a lobby selling “End Poverty” T-shirts and tote bags.
Hummus and Tabouli Station
The building’s expansive cafeteria overlooks an indoor pool and caters to even the most discerning palate. There’s a soup station called “Ladle and Crust,” a “Mediterranean Table” station serving hummus and tabouli, and a sushi chef offering made-to-order rolls and sashimi.
A luncheon for the representatives of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka was hosted in a nearby elegant dining room for the Bank’s diplomats and special guests.
It appears that many food service workers come from countries where the Development Bank sends missions.
Blunt, after a decade on the job, said he paid $18 an hour, above DC’s minimum wage of $16.10. He says some of the world’s most important people should be paid more than the legal minimum to feed them in various service and catering roles.
Blunt, a member of Unite Here Local 23 chapter, is one of about 150 Compass staff employed by the World Bank. They are in contract negotiations, seeking higher wages and better health care benefits.
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib
The bank is not involved in contract negotiations
World Bank spokesman David Thies said that while the bank is not a party to the negotiations between the union and Compass Group, bank workers have “deep admiration and respect” for their food service colleagues. He said the bank ensured that employees were paid during the pandemic.
While $18 an hour may seem like a lot in some cases, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s “Living Wage” index lists $22.15 an hour for D.C., one of the most expensive metro areas in the United States.
Starting July 1, the minimum wage in DC will increase to $17 an hour for all workers, making it one of the highest minimum wages in the country. The increase comes as persistently high inflation eats into workers’ paychecks and the average rent in Washington is $2,571, according to Zillow.
“The World Bank has stated that its goal is to promote shared prosperity by increasing the incomes of the poorest 40% of every country,” Unite Here President D. Taylor said in a call with reporters. “We think it started first in the United States, here with compensating food service workers. They work hard every day yet struggle to pay their bills.”
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib
Cost of living crisis
Compass Group spokeswoman Lisa Klebon said the firm is negotiating in good faith and is interested in reaching a fair agreement. He added that the company has a “long history” of doing “what’s best for our employees and clients.”
Current discussions also cover Compass staff who serve meals at the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Institutes of Health.
Alex Campbell, director of the DC office of the International Trade Union Confederation, said workers around the world are “suffering from a cost-of-living crisis they didn’t cause.”
“To end poverty and promote shared prosperity in these turbulent times, workers everywhere need decent living standards, basic rights to work and collective bargaining,” Campbell said. “This is true for staff on projects funded by the World Bank Group anywhere in the world, from Compass employees in DC.”
Blunt said he just believes his job is worth what he has to pay. He added, “If I can get a raise from Compass Group, it will help me save up emergency funds, pay my bills on time without delay.”