Thursday’s debate is back on after labor dispute resolved

By MixDex Article may include affiliate links

It looks like the Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019 Democratic debate will happen after a labor dispute that threatened to cancel it was resolved.

  • Unite Here Local 11, which represents food service workers at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the site of the debate, reached a deal with food contractor Sodexo.
  • The union said that the DNC and Tom Perez, a former labor secretary, for helping to resolve the dispute.
  • “Every worker deserves fair wages and benefits,” Perez said in a statement. “That’s why I was proud to help bring all stakeholders to the table, including Unite Here Local 11, Sodexo and Loyola Marymount University to reach a deal that meets their needs and supports workers.”
  • Before the deal was reached, multiple Democratic presidential candidates said they would not participate in the televised debate if the labor dispute went unresolved, which could have led to the debate being canceled.
  • The debate will be co-hosted by PBS and Politico as planned originally.
  • Workers were planning to picket on debate night.
  • The new contract between workers and Sodexo includes increased wages, drop in health care costs and increased job security.
  • Many of the workers made less than $15 an hour under the old deal.