Cafeteria workers raise concerns over APS scratch-cooking rules
Albuquerque Public Schools cafeteria workers say a new scratch-cooking mandate has created unsustainable workloads and led to alleged off-the-clock labor.
Digital Assignment Editor
Unionized school cafeteria workers raised concerns this week over a new policy that requires more than half of all meals to be made from scratch.
Union workers cited an unsustainable workload and possibly “illegal” practices, including working off the clock.
“There’s no way of scratch cooking in these employee areas for three-and-a-half hours,” said CWA Local 7070 Vice President Alvaro Rivera at the APS School Board meeting on Wednesday.
“We cannot do scratch cooking in that amount of time,” he said.
“The manager on site is getting their time card and clocking them out and then asking them to stay until the work is done,” said CWA Local 7070 President Paul Aguilar.
“This is unacceptable; it is illegal; it is not something we can do,” Aguilar said.
Albuquerque Public Schools noted that the scratch-food requirement was passed in 2023 for implementation at the start of the 2026 school year in August.
“APS remains fully on track to meet all state requirements,” APS said in a statement, adding that employee training began in March 2026 through Brigaid, a state-contracted third-party vendor.
“APS values its partnership with staff and looks forward to meeting with CWA members to discuss their concerns,” the district said.
CWA, meanwhile, said it was willing to return to the table with APS and bargain “in good faith.”
“The concern is that the additional time negotiated between CWA and APS was violated and continues to be violated,” Aguilar told KOAT 7.
