Washington State Ferries is standing behind its decision to award a food service vending contract to Connecticut-based company Centerplate even though the current, Washington-based vendors have filed a legal petition against them.

Olympic Cascade Food Services has run the onboard food galleys for many of the ferries for the past 12 years, but was not re-hired, along with all of the other current vendors, when WSF renegotiated its contracts earlier this year. Olympic Cascade Food Services filed a petition to halt the awardment of the contract to Centerplate, citing disregard for WSF’s own values and mission statement by hiring an out-of-state vendor with numerous lawsuits regarding employee maltreatment, both settled and pending.

According to Olympic Cascade Food Service president Nove Meyers, a temporary restraining order keeping WSF from signing the contract with Centerplate was awarded by a Thurston County Court judge last week. The restraining order will allow Olympic Cascade to present its case to a judge later this month before WSF is allowed to move forward with the other vendor.

One of Meyers’ main concerns with Centerplate is the lawsuits it’s had over the years by including employees claiming wage theft, and unfair labor practices during this year’s Superbowl, where Centerplate was the food vendor. He believes that WSF did not do its due dilligence when researching this company and were unaware of the lawsuits. Or, worse, it chose to ignore them.

Kristina Arsenault, Washington State Ferries director for community services and planning, disagrees, stating that it did its due dillegence and, in fact, found many positive reports regarding Centerplate and its business practices. She notes that it has been contracted with Steamship Authority in Massachusettes for 23 years and are “admired and well loved.”

“They [Centerplate] do a really good job representing the local market,” said Arsenault. “The local branding possibilities are huge. They’ll be able to pull in many new local brands and we have to consider those businesses and employees as well.”

Employees of Olympic Cascade Food Services have voiced their concerns via open letters to their managers, WSF and the courts. Their concerns lie in the potential loss of their jobs, wages and benefits as they are currently part of the Inlandboatmen’s Union but Centerplate is not required by contract to work with any union or hire union employees.

“Our managers make $17.08 per hour,” said Meyers. “We also pay 95 percent of health care for employees and their dependents. They get paid vacation and sick pay and we have 401k dollar for dollar match up to 6 percent.”

“The current vendor came on board when there was a precedent included [in the contract] that the vendor needed to have union representation,” said Arsenault. “But Washington State is labor neutral. We have no say whether or not a new vendor works with the union.”

Also according to Arsenault, Centerplate “has every intention of keeping as many employees as possible and has been cited as having a good benefits package.”

A 2015 recruitement ad for a seasonal Centerplate Steamship Authority ferry deli counter worker in Massachusetts lists nine dollars per hour as the pay rate and benefits and bonuses are non-applicable.

Margie Iapopo, who currently runs the well-known Cheesecake Cafe at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, is also involved in the court case to halt the awardment of the vending contract to Centerplate.

“I’m just questioning their [WSF] decision to replace a local business with a business from Connecticut who apparently doesn’t take care of their employees,” she said.