DOZENS OF SENATE DINING WORKERS FACE LAYOFFS — Workers who feed the Senate are on a carousel of uncertainty again, as layoffs loom for cooks, cashiers and other Senate food service workers. Your Huddle host met up with some of the fifty-six employees of Restaurant Associates, the food service contractor for the Senate, who are facing layoffs on July 28 despite stopgap funding from the Architect of the Capitol that was supposed to last until Sept. 30. Yes, again: In April, the Senate dining workers won a temporary reprieve from layoffs when Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) secured $3.75 million from the Architect of the Capitol's office to prevent 81 workers from being laid off. That funding was supposed to last through Sept. 30, but workers were hit with the two-week notice yesterday. The notice letter given to workers on Wednesday by Restaurant Associates said the architect's office could not promise that funds obligated to cover the company's shortfall would cover payroll through the end of Sept., "nor does the AOC guarantee additional funds will be made available; thus, the contractor shall manage payroll and staffing to begin to right-size their organization as soon as possible." A handful of workers spoke briefly to POLITICO after being told that their jobs were not on the chopping block, but they awaited news about the status of their friends and colleagues who were in a hastily-called meeting.That 3 p.m. meeting is where the workers found out they only have two weeks left working in the Senate. Elusive answers: Many workers were bracing for uncertainty in the fall when they expected the short-term funding to run out, but were blindsided Wednesday. Restaurant Associates told workers that the Architect of the Capitol told them to "right size" their workforce on Capitol Hill. While many eateries on the Senate side remain closed, those that are open have been bustling, with lines for food and payment. Your Huddle Host met up with a half-dozen Senate dining workers after the meeting where they received layoff notices. Some are being offered positions at another dining facility across the city also operated by Restaurant Associates parent company at George Washington University. But the staff voiced concerns about pay cuts, seven-day-per-week schedules, night and weekend shifts and losing seniority that they've built in the Senate. "We want to work the jobs we have, that we've had for years, here," one worker told your Huddle host. The contract workers voted last fall to organize a union and joined Unite Here Local 23. They are currently bargaining with Restaurant Associates for their first union contract, but that can't move forward until the Senate revamps its official agreement with the company. Some see the move to shift workers to GW as a union-busting tactic: "they are trying to break us and split us up before we get our contract," bargaining committee member Quentin Blackman said Wednesday. Speaking up: The small group put those concerns into action, seeking out Klobuchar, who has led ongoing discussions with the Architect of the Capitol to overhaul the structure of the contract. They made their way to her Dirksen office, along with your Huddle host, where Blackman and others conveyed their concerns and urged action on a long-term solution. Klobuchar's staff escalated the update from the workers, getting Rules Committee staff on the phone and giving the workers face time with senior staff who spoke with the group. They later met with Senate Rules Committee aides, who have a direct hand in oversight of the Architect of the Capitol and Senate contracts. Further meetings are expected in the coming days. SENATE DEMS DROP DIVERSITY DATA — Senate Democrats have released the latest results of the Senate Democratic Caucus' Diversity Initiative Survey, first started in 2017. While concerns about paths for advancement of staff of color persist, the data shows that more chiefs of staff and communications directors are non-white than ever before in the survey: 10 Dem offices have chiefs of staff who are people of color, two identifying as African-American, two as Asian American Pacific Islander, one as Native American/Hawaiian native and five Latino. A total of 40 percent of Senate Democratic staff identified as nonwhite. Latinos have their highest representation in Democratic offices since 2017, at 14 percent. There is much, much more data to dig into. QUICK LINKS Democrats stand between Biden and sale of U.S. fighter jets to Turkey, from Andrew Desiderio Seattle man faces hate crime charge after he's accused of threatening Rep. Pramila Jayapal, from Dareh Gregorian at NBC News TODAY IN CONGRESS The House convenes at 10 a.m. The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and will vote at 11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. The Senate will vote on cloture on the nomination of Julianna Childs to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.
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