To the Editor:

Food service workers in Princeton Public Schools make only about $9 an hour. Their paid holidays have been taken away, along with paid sick days and paid time off for jury duty.

Most of us in Princeton have the good fortune to enjoy a high standard of living. We live in nice homes, drive nice cars, and take nice vacations. We can afford to do better for those who serve our children’s school lunches.

Technically, the Board of Education is not a party to food service workers employment contracts. But we have the ability to help them get fair wages and benefits. The Board can inform Nutri-Serve Food Management that receiving the contract for our public schools is contingent upon it paying its employees fairly. If necessary, the Board can renegotiate the contract price to enable Nutri-Serv to pay its employees more and still make a reasonable profit.

Many of us will soon have the pleasure of watching A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre. We would do well to heed its message in the way we treat the people who feed our students.

Lewis Maltby

Stone Cliff Road,

President, National Workrights Institute