Summary_of_First_Week_4-17-10

Sodexo National Actions April 12-16, 2010

Day One

What Sodexo Workers Are Fighting For About seven months ago, workers employed by Sodexo around the country--from California to Massachusetts, from Louisiana to Illinois--started joining together to form a union. Their goal was to win a better life for themselves and their families.

In state after state, however, this simple exercise of protected rights by Sodexo's workers has been met with interrogation, threats, surveillance, and even terminations of activists, as part of a deliberate campaign by Sodexo to suppress its own workers' efforts to seek humane and just working conditions. This activity is widespread - it spans eight states and is the basis of 16 unfair labor practice charges pending before the National Labor Relations Board.

When Sodexo began cracking down on workers' efforts to form a union, the company's food service workers and janitors were fighting for fair wages, access to affordable health care, and dignity and respect on the job. Now workers are protesting this disrespect of their rights.

Sodexo is the 22nd largest employer in the world, and, despite making more than a billion dollars in operating profit in 2009, Sodexo pays its workers in the United States as little as $7.50 an hour. Even if a worker is lucky enough to get full-time hours year-round (which is hardly the case for many of the company's workers), that still comes to just $15,600 per year--well below the poverty line for a family of four of $22,050.

Access to affordable healthcare is also a problem for Sodexo workers. In fact, two-thirds of Sodexo's non-managerial employees in the United States are not covered by health insurance offered by the company. "We don't make enough money to pay for the health insurance they offer to us. The plan is over $300 a month," said Dorsi Forte, a Sodexo worker at Westfield State University at Massachusetts. "We barely make ends meet now. Why are they offering us insurance that we can't afford to get? It doesn't make any sense to me."

Sandy Dailey, a food service worker at Ohio State University, cannot afford to pay for medical care out-of-pocket on the $9 an hour she makes. Despite having a serious heart condition, her lack of affordable health insurance means she hasn't seen a doctor in 3 years. Sandy has already had two heart attacks at work--both of which came after she had to lift heavy boxes of syrup for sodas--and without access to health care she is constantly at risk of having another one. She is supposed to take medicine for her high blood pressure but can't afford it. "So I lift the boxes," she says, tears streaming down her face. "I know I shouldn't, but what choice do I have? If I don't do it, I don't get scheduled."

Apart from wages and benefits, many Sodexo workers report that dignity on the job is a major issue. "In the kitchen, the 'Respect and Fair Treatment' poster is just a decoration, because the only ones that get any respect here are managers," said Rodd Sweet, a prep cook at the University of Denver.

With service sector jobs--such as those provided by Sodexo--predicted to account for 96 percent of all job growth between now and 2018, our country cannot afford to let them remain dead-end jobs.

What's worse, when Sodexo workers stand up to improve their jobs and transform the service sector, they're met with a pattern of illegal activity to suppress their efforts - even when this activity violates federal law. Over the course of the

next two weeks Sodexo cafeteria workers and janitors--joined by students, religious leaders, and elected officials in 10 states--will protest these attacks on their efforts to form a union by participating in rallies and leading strikes in some locations, and some individuals may participate in civil disobedience. Events are planned in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, and California.

We'll be covering all of the action on CleanUpSodexo.org, regularly and often, over the course of the next two weeks.

Sodexo "Spring Cleaning" Begins at CUBE Conference in Chicago

Last Friday, a delegation of activists and workers were at the Council of Urban Boards of Education (or CUBE, part of the National School Boards Association) conference in Chicago to deliver a report entitled "Profits First, School Kids Last: Exposing the High Cost of Sodexo."

Today, schools throughout the country are in a

financial crisis that is unprecedented in recent

history.School boards are being forced to make cuts and look to outsourcing companies like Sodexo - a company that provides food service to more than 2.3 million children nationwide - for easy answers.

But from the perspective of local communities, Sodexo's savings often prove to be a mirage. Sodexo's business model - low-wage jobs that depress the tax base and in some cases force workers to rely on different forms of public assistance and charity to meet basic housing, nutritional and healthcare needs - puts additional pressure on local budgets and may actually end up costing communities money.

The CUBE event was a great opportunity to talk to decision makers

about what it really means to contract with Sodexo. The energy was fantastic, and the noise level was high as protesters showed up with banners and began distributing leaflets to participants.

You could sense that the message was heard loud and clear as participants began sharing their leaflets with others and talking about what the protesters were doing. The delegation's message was certainly heard by officials who were considering Sodexo as a potential company to do business with.

By the end of the conference, between word of mouth and our follow up activities, everyone understood why the delegation was there and what it means to contract with Sodexo.

You can read more about Sodexo's weak K-12 record - including issues about understaffing, safety and security, student confidentiality, finances and deficits, lack of follow-through and kickback issues here: http://cleanupsodexo.org/education/

N.J. school districts overpaid food service management firms by more than $320K, study says

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/ten_nj_school_districts_overpa.html By Bob Considine/The Star-Ledger April 06, 2010, 7:56PM Stephen Briggs/For The Star-LedgerStudent Pat Duane uses the Cougar Deli at Chatham High School in this September 2009 file photo. The School District of the Chathams is the newest New Jersey district to hire Chartwells food service. A report says that school districts are overpaying food service management firms, suggesting that the charges Sodexo and Chartwells levy on schools for workers compensation and liability insurance exceed the actual cost of obtaining insurance. Ten New Jersey school districts overpaid more than $320,000 in payroll costs to private food service management companies, according to a study commissioned by a service workers union and released today. SEIU Local 32BJ, with 8,300 New Jersey members, hired Clarion Group Ltd. to analyze contracts and financial data provided by 10 school districts that outsource their food services to two private corporations, Maryland-based Sodexo Inc. and North-Carolina-based Chartwells, a subsidiary of Compass Group. The study was conducted mostly during the 2008-09 school year. The report indicates the charges Sodexo and Chartwells levied on schools for workers compensation and liability insurance exceeded the actual cost of obtaining the insurance. It claimed that in three school districts — Bergenfield, East Windsor and Marlboro — Chartwells overcharged $51,979 for workers compensation insurance. They found the companies used similar tactics in other markets to inflate costs, according to Tom MacDermott, who researched and wrote the report for the Clarion Group from last November to March. “They were charging more for certain overhead items than they actually incurred.” A spokesperson for Compass Group said company officials are still reviewing the report, but said “it appears to be based on assumptions and incomplete data that we cannot validate until further review.” “Chartwells’ business conduct is guided by the highest standards of integrity and responsibility and we adhere to federal, state and local regulations when we bid on school district contracts,” said Cheryl Queen, vice president of corporate communications with Compass Group North America. Edison school board secretary and school business administrator Daniel Michaud said he has trusted Chartwell’s business practices and is pleased with the deal his district has with the company. Still, Michaud was surprised to learn of the report and said he would follow up with Chartwell for an explanation. “If there’s anything to check, believe me, we’ll address it with them,” he said. “And if there’s any overcharging, I’ll be going after them for it.” Clarion’s report — “Hard to Swallow: Do Private Food Service Contractors Shortchange New Jersey Schools?” — covered 2.6 percent of the 378 school districts in the state that used private food contractors. The districts surveyed were Bergenfield, East Windsor, Edison, Hamilton, Marlboro, Long Branch, Piscataway, Southern Regional, West Orange, and West Windsor-Plainsboro.

According to MacDermott, some of the districts surveyed could have secured better deals with the food management companies if they allowed time in the process to obtain competitive bids, according to MacDermott. In one instance, MacDermott said, the West Orange school district issued an undated 45-page bid guideline for the 2009-10 school year that required bidders to attend a tour of the district’s food services facilities on June 25 and submit proposals three business days later for a contract that began on July 1. “The state recommends a 45-day period,” MacDermott said. “That’s probably a little excessive, but three days to put together a $3 million piece of business is a little tough.”

SEIU LOCAL 32BJ; Report Finds Private Food Companies Including Sodexo and Chartwells May Be Overcharging New Jersey School Districts $12 Million Food Weekly News April 22, 2010

A new report finds private food service companies operating thousands of New Jersey public school cafeterias may be overcharging the state's school districts by $12 million.

The Clarion Group's report entitled "Hard to Swallow: Do Private Food Service Companies Shortchange New Jersey's Schools?" analyzes contracts and financial data in ten school districts that use Sodexo and Chartwells to manage their cafeterias.

"In a time of tightened budgets, New Jersey's schools need every tax dollar owed to them," said Marcelo Narvaez, father of a teenage son and member of 32BJ SEIU. "This money should be going to my son's education and providing nutritious food, not into the pockets of multi-billion dollar companies."

Keywords: Finance, Financial, Food, Food Service, Investing, Investment, SEIU Local 32BJ. This article was prepared by Food Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Food Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.

Town Hall Meeting in PA Focuses on Violations of Worker Rights at Sodexo

Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Brennan, Easton City Council Member Mike Fleck, Lehigh Valley Students for Workers joined Sodexo food service employees at a town hall meeting on Thursday to address poor working conditions and violations of

workers' rights in the area. The town hall took place at the United Steelworkers Hall in Bethlehem PA.

Sodexo workers in the area have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that the company has unlawfully interrogated and threatened

workers for trying to form a union.

Workers like Genevieve Repsher and Shamar Grant talked about the harassment and intimidation they've faced as they stand up for better wages and affordable health care coverage.

The event was covered by local television station WFMZ-TV, who reported on the event here:http://www.wfmz.com/news/23096668/detail.html

http://www.wfmz.com/news/23096668/detail.html

Workers Dish Out Complaints About Company Joscelyn Moes | Reporter Posted: 10:10 pm EDT April 8,2010

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Local food service workers dished out some complaints Thursday night about what they're calling violations of workers' rights. They said the time has come to clean up food service contractor, Sodexo. Some local Sodexo workers held a town hall meeting tonight to address what they're calling poor working conditions. But company officials said not so fast. Elected officials and college students joined local Sodexo food service employees to support their fight for change within the company. The local workers want to organize to form a union. Their biggest complaints are the high cost of health care and low wages. “It's just hard for me to try to go to school at the same time,” said Shamar Grant. “I don't really have enough money to cover all my expenses.” "I'm only at about 9 dollars after 6 1/2 years." said Genevieve Repsher Sodexo officials say their employees are critical to the company's success. “Sodexo provides competitive pay and benefits appropriate to employee responsibilities to our 120,000 employees in the United States,” says Alfred King, spokesman for Sodexo. Local workers are standing alongside Service Employees International Union local 32BJ. Workers say when they've approached their higher ups about forming a union they've been met with harassment. “In many cases they've been met with threats, intimidation either directly or indirectly.” said Bianca Agustin. The company says it respects the rights of its employees to unionize or not unionize as they so choose. “Allegations that we interfere with employees rights to unionize are false,” said King. Meantime workers say they're going to continue their fight. Workers are planning to march to Sodexo offices in Allentown later this month.

Day Two

Global Delegation Arrives, Meeting with Sodexo Workers This Week

A delegation of Sodexo workers from France and the United Kingdom landed last night in Washington, DC, in preparation for three days of activity in support of the campaign by Sodexo workers in the U.S. to protest Sodexo's attempts to suppress workers--through threats, intimidation, among other things--in their efforts to form a union.

Silvie Emmanuela Beccari, the national chief steward for Sodexo France for the union CFDT;Emilie

Wirtz and Pascal Ronet, both regional chief stewards for the Northeast region of France/CFDT; Jean-Michel Dupire, executive board member for the French union CGT; andGerard Bodard, regional chief steward for the CGT, have joined Robert Oram, national executive council for Unison, the 1.3-million member union in the United Kingdom; and John Fox and Elaine Carswell, both project organizers for the Unison "Three Companies" project, which includes Sodexo workers (some of whom staged a successful strike of their own earlier this year). The delegation is looking forward to the next few days, during which they will visit with Sodexo workers in Virginia and Ohio and participate in actions with both workers and students.

This trip is an unprecedented delegation of global union partners visiting the U.S. in the midst of a campaign. The delegations spent Tuesday evening meeting Sodexo workers from George Mason University, and discussed differences and similarities amongst their unions and the conditions of Sodexo workers in their home countries.

The global guests heard firsthand the stories from Sodexo workers, who attended a welcome dinner for the delegation.

"These workers' dignity is affected," said Jean-Michel Dupire of the CGT. "It touches my heart to hear how they are working hard to get a union."

"There is a lot of work that needs to be done," agreed Emlie Wirtz, also of the CFDT.

"A Sodexo worker--whether they live in France or in America--should all have the same rights, the same advantages," said Silvie Beccari of the CFDT. "In France, workers have the right to give their opinions. It should be the same in the U.S."

"In France, every worker has the right to join a union; the law protects them," explained Pascal Ronet. "In the U.K., everyone has the individual right to join a union, as well," added Bob Oram.

"We need a lot of support, and we are blessed because people are hearing our voices," said Sandra Villanueva, a Sodexo worker at GMU for 11 years. "It's good to learn about workers in other countries, and we need a lot of support. It makes me feel good to know that we are not alone."

John Fox of Unison agreed. "It's not just us who are here with you," he said of the delegation from the U.K. "The people back in England who can't be here are thinking of all of these workers too. We are all with them. We are passionate about this campaign and are happy we can all come together."

The delegation travels to Ohio on Thursday and back to the DC area on Friday.

In New Orleans, Workers Testify Before City Council About Sodexo's Illegal Practices and Failure to Help With the City's Recovery

Joined by a broad coalition of community and student supporters, Sodexo workers in New Orleans testified today before the City Council to protest the disturbing pattern of illegal behavior at sites where Sodexo workers are fighting for the right to come together to raise standards in a city hungry for good jobs.

"After five years I received two raises--one for 24 cents, the other for 12 cents--and now I make $8.12 an hour which makes it hard even to pay my bills," said Anthony Thomas, a Sodexo worker at Tulane University. "Just because my coworkers and I are trying to create better jobs for everyone, Sodexo has threatened and illegally questioned my

coworkers and that isn't right. I hope Sodexo plays a part in creating good jobs too."

Sodexo is one of the largest employers in the New Orleans region, and as the area leader in food service management sets employment standards for thousands of workers in the market. Both in New Orleans and around the world, Sodexo portrays itself as a responsible employer, pledging, for example, to help recovery efforts as the floodwaters receded in 2005. But almost five years later, workers testified today, Sodexo has failed to live up to its promises.

"Before the storm, I worked for Sodexo at the school district. In the aftermath, all Sodexo did was offer to give us a payout based on our vacation time," says Zella Dase, a food service worker at Loyola University. "I didn't have any vacation--and none of my coworkers that I know did either. I can't believe that they didn't offer to help us at all."

23.8%: Percentage of individuals in New Orleans below the poverty line

13.2%: Percentage of individuals nationally below the poverty line

$22,050: Federal poverty line for a family of four

$16,640: Annual earnings of a Sodexo worker in New Orleans

Although workers at Sodexo's unionized Recovery School District account generally fare better than their nonunion counterparts, some of them also earn wages low enough to qualify them for public assistance. These workers are preparing to fight for a better contract with Sodexo in the coming months.

"I've worked for Sodexo for nearly 3 years, but I've been on food stamps for over a year now," said Zarassa Harris, a Sodexo custodian in the Recovery School District. "For lunch, my kids eat free. I think it's sad that I work for a huge, profitable food service company, yet my kids have to rely on the federal government to get lunch at school."

These sorts of low-wage jobs exacerbate the problems in a city that is in desperate need of good jobs and lasting economic development. Nearly one in four New Orleanians lives below the poverty line--almost double the poverty rate for the country as a whole.

At today's hearing, workers released a report on Sodexo's track record in New Orleans, Hardship in the Big Easy: How Sodexo's practices leave New Orleans workers in poverty. The report reveals that Sodexo Facilities management erased overtime from weekly time reports from time clocks every Wednesday or Thursday, stealing a total of $22,000 from workers over the course of last year. Sodexo eventually had to pay back the money after workers put pressure on the company.

Labor concerns presented to City Council Economic Development Committee

Bruce Eggler The Times-Picayune

April 13, 2010

Workers and union organizers protesting what they call substandard wages and unfair labor practices at local public schools and universities by the international food-service giant Sodexo drew sympathetic comments but no promises of help Tuesday from New Orleans City Council members. A parade of current and former Sodexo food-service and custodial workers at Tulane and Loyola universities and Recovery School District schools presented their grievances to the council's Economic Development Committee. Several workers said that even after years on the job, their wages are so low they must rely on food stamps and free or reduced-price school lunches to feed their families and are unable to afford adequate health insurance. Others said Sodexo does not offer opportunities for promotion and advancement and has fired at least one worker who supported the Service Employees International Union's efforts to unionize workers at Tulane and Loyola. Helene O'Brien, president of SEIU Local 21LA, said Sodexo managers systematically erased overtime hours worked by 150 employees last year, denying them a total of $22,000 they had earned. After the workers put pressure on the company, she said, the money eventually was paid but the managers involved remain in their positions.

Arnie Fielkow is chairman of the New Orleans City Council Economic Development Committee.

Council President Arnie Fielkow, chairman of the committee, said he had invited Sodexo to send a representative to the meeting, but no one appeared to speak for the company. In the past, Sodexo officials have denied some of the allegations.

In a letter this month to the Tulane student newspaper, the Hullabaloo, the area general manager for Sodexo Campus Services, Ben Hartley, said, "We follow the National Labor Relations Board standards that call for open dialogue" before a vote on whether to join a union. He told the Loyola Maroon in February that the company offers "benefits that would have been unheard of several years ago" and "does a good job at trying to support staff as much as they can." The company has said its starting wage of $8 an hour is higher than the legally required minimum wage and the average starting wage in Louisiana. Fielkow said low wages can contribute to crime by forcing parents to work more than one job and by limiting opportunities for young people. But he said the council has no jurisdiction over labor practices at private schools. Councilwoman Stacy Head said it might be possible to write a city law saying that companies' treatment of workers should be taken into consideration when awarding contracts to take over privatized public functions. But she noted that, like the council's recently passed ordinance denying city contracts to people convicted of certain felonies, any such law must not violate the state's public bid law. After the committee meeting, the workers and union leaders trooped outside to a rally on City Hall's steps where state Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, and recent mayoral candidate James Perry voiced support for the workers' cause. Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, is currently running for the 93rd District House seat. Badon said, "It pains me that this company can feel good about their billions of dollars in profits knowing that their workers are suffering." Perry urged Sodexo to pay its workers "livable" wages. "We have to put people first," he said. Sodexo, founded in France in 1966 and formerly known as Sodexho, is one of the largest food-service and facilities management companies in the world, with 380,000 employees at 30,600 sites in 80 countries. For the fiscal year ending in August 2009, it had worldwide revenue of more than $19 billion. O'Brien said Sodexo has long-term contracts with Tulane and Loyola. It recently lost its food-service contract with the Recovery School District but still provides food service at some charter schools, she said, and also has a maintenance and custodial contract with the RSD. The well-known author Barbara Ehrenreich, before a speaking appearance at Tulane in March, met with Sodexo workers and expressed support for their unionization efforts.

N.O. City Council hears wage theft accusations against Sodexo

Ben Myers

New Orleans Business Journal

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2010/04/13/no-city-council-hears-wage-theft-accusations-against-sodexo/

Wage theft, racial discrimination, poverty-level wages and inadequate health care were among a flurry of

allegations aimed at France-based Sodexo at a New Orleans City Council committee meeting today.

The accusations against Sodexo, which manages cafeterias and other facilities in public schools and private

universities in New Orleans, came from employees and the Service Employees International Union.

Algiers resident Lisa Cooper told council members that, while serving as a temporary manager at Benjamin

Bratt Elementary School, she saw other managers erase hours from time cards.

“I witnessed some awful things,” Cooper said.

The SEIU today released a report that claims Sodexo systematically stole $22,000 from New Orleans-area

workers by erasing overtime hours from weekly time reports in 2009. The erasures occurred every

Wednesday and Thursday, and one employee lost $1,245, according to the report.

Councilman Arnie Fielkow said he invited Sodexo representatives to attend the meeting, but none were

present.

In a written statement, Sodexo spokesman Alfred King said the company “found an error in its

computerized time-clock system” and the problems occurred between 2007 and 2008. SEIU and Sodexo

agree the money was returned, but the union says reparations occurred only after employees pressured

Sodexo management.

Terry Shelly testified that her unionizing attempts resulted in her being fired from a job as a cashier in a

Loyola University New Orleans cafeteria.

SEIU represents some New Orleans-area workers, but employees working at Tulane and Loyola universities

have been unable to unionize and face threats of surveillance, among other intimidation efforts, according to

SEIU.

“Those allegations are false,” King said, noting that Sodexo is more than 15 percent unionized. “Sodexo

respects our employees’ rights to unionize or not unionize as they choose.”

Tulane senior Brian Ford testified in favor of Sodexo employees and said students are organizing a rally this

week.

“We have seen intimidation on our campus,” Ford told council members.

Council members acknowledged that city government cannot control what occurs on private campuses. But

Councilwoman Stacy Head said the city’s penchant for outsourcing has resulted in public service workers

receiving lower wages.

Head and Fielkow agreed to explore their flexibility under public bid laws to consider treatment of

employees when awarding contracts.•

SEIU escalates union efforts Workers and students present demands to regional management

http://thehullabaloo.com/2010/04/09/seiu-escalates-union-efforts/

By Max Coll | Section: Apr 9th, 2010

Sodexo employees, Tulane and Loyola students, and representatives of the Service Employees International Union marched into Sodexo’s regional office yesterday to deliver a letter condemning the company’s reactions to the workers’ unionization movement.

The letter, which they left on the desk of District Manager John Monica, demanded that Sodexo cease unlawful campaigns to intimidate workers and charged the company with 13 violations of the National Labor Relations Act, three of which are specific to Tulane and Loyola Universities.

“At Tulane University workers tell of Sodexo management interrogating them about their union activities and threatening workers who continue their support for SEIU,” according to the letter. “At Loyola University workers complain of a Sodexo work rule restricting employees from talking about the union at work and that Sodexo discharged union supporter Terry Shelley in retaliation for her support for the union.”

Corey Taylor, an SEIU representative who was present at the protest, said the campaign is aiming to ensure workers’ protective rights.

“These workers are coming together to try to better conditions,” Taylor said. “As they have engaged in these efforts, Sodexo has responded with terminations and harassment.”

Representatives of Sodexo’s regional office told the protesting group that Monica was unavailable to comment but that they would place the letter under his door. The company also responded to SEIU’s allegations in a letter to the editor in The Hullabaloo this issue, featured on page 10.

“Sodexo believes that the decision to unionize or not is an important one for our employees,” according to a letter by Ben Hartley, Sodexo Campus Services area general manager. “We follow the National Labor Relations Board standards that call for open dialogue to ensure employees are fully informed before they make such a decision. Any claims to the contrary are false.”

Tulane President Scott Cowen responded to various student organizations Tuesday, acknowledging the community’s interest in the unionization movement and emphasizing the school’s existing employee policies.

“The treatment of Tulane University employees is already comprehensively covered in the faculty and staff handbooks and university employment policies,” according to Cowen’s statement. “I mention this fact so that the issues you may have with Sodexo are not conflated with the existing Tulane policies regarding its treatment of university employees.”

The university also released a statement affirming its recognition of the workers’ right to unionize.

“Tulane supports the efforts of workers on our campus, if they so desire, to have union representation, which is guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act,” according to the public statement. “We expect our vendors, like Sodexo, to accord their employees the respect and dignity that all people deserve.”

In an effort to increase awareness of the unionization movement, the Tulane University Solidarity Committee has organized a workers’ appreciation barbecue today to show support for Sodexo workers. Michael Hogg, interim vice president of student affairs, said the location of the event was moved due to security concerns and required the presence of Tulane police officers due to the potentially violent nature of the gathering.

“Here you have groups of people with differing views who are quite passionate,” Hogg said. “We want it to be civil and not a threat to anyone on the spectrum. [TUSC] told us that they can not guarantee anyone’s safety, so we are requiring the presence of security.”

Brian Ford, a member of TUSC, said that while Cowen and the administration claim to seek a civil and balanced discussion, their actions have suggested otherwise.

“Actions like moving this barbecue at the last second suggest that the administration is attempting to intimidate the conversation, basing it on fears they possess rather than a dialogue based on the facts,” Ford said. “The concept of unionization has them frightened and our rapid growth of support has them on their heels despite the fact that our actions have been peaceful and orderly.”

An SEIU flyer that protesters scattered across Sodexo’s regional office depicted a wanted sign with pictures of Tulane and Loyola managers dressed in cowboy attire. Hogg said the use of these flyers was in poor taste and hinted at violence.

“Taking other employees and belittling them, no matter what side you’re on, is in poor taste,” Hogg said. “A wanted poster means you are looking for someone.”

SEIU representative Tara Young said the Sodexo workers’ conditions and the company’s unlawful reaction to the unionization movement clearly violates Tulane University’s mission statement and stance in the community.

“After Hurricane Katrina the university placed a major emphasis on community service around the New Orleans area,” Young said. “But what about their workers? Community service is about caring for your neighbors.”

Ford countered Sodexo’s claim that their $8 hourly pay is 52 cents higher than the starting hourly rate in Louisiana, noting the high living costs of New Orleans.

“Sixty cents above minimum wage is not a livable situation, and at an esteemed institution like Tulane we need to do better,” Ford said.

Campus rally supports unionization More than 50 percent of workers agree to unionize, enabling them to officially present plans to Sodexo

http://thehullabaloo.com/2010/03/26/campus-rally-supports-unionization/ By Leah Askarinam | Section: Mar 26th, 2010

Tulane’s dining services employees presented Sodexo with a request to form a union without intimidation from management Wednesday.

Tulanians marched from Gibson to Lavin-Bernick Center in a show of solidarity for the Sodexo unionization effort.

A crowd of students marched with workers to Dining Services General Manager Phoebe Cook’s office to present a document with their demands. Anthony Thomas, who has worked with Sodexo for approximately five-and-a-half years, presented the document with a plea for better working conditions. Cook, however, said that though she respected workers’ rights, she did not have the authority to accept the papers, so the workers left the packet on the floor of her office.

The workers joined the group of students as they left, marching through the Lavin-Bernick Center chanting “shame on Sodexo.”

“Basically, that is a really blatant slap in the face because it’s a statement from her that Sodexo doesn’t respect workers’ right to organize,” said Brian Ford, member of the Tulane University Solidarity Committee.

Tulane Public Relations Director Michael Strecker said that Tulane supports workers’ efforts to unionize, a right guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act.

“We expect our vendors, like Sodexo, to accord their employees the respect and dignity that all people deserve,” Strecker said. “We recognize that there are Tulane faculty, staff and students who are supportive of various positions in the ongoing discussions. Their interest and involvement are indicative of the culture of community engagement that Tulane highly values.

We expect a rational, reasonable and respectful exchange of viewpoints between all parties that is rooted in facts, openness and civility.”

Before presenting Sodexo with the documents, two members of TUSC and two professors went to President Scott Cowen’s office proposing that he adopt a Labor Code of Conduct. TUSC said it expects Cowen to address its request by April 8.

“Tulane University recognizes that, while according to U.S. law workers have the freedom to choose for themselves whether to have a union, the reality is that workers across the nation are routinely denied that right,” the proposed code states. “By implementing this code, Tulane University recognizes the freedom to form or join a union as a fundamental human right.”

They also presented two petitions: one with 1,092 student signatures and the other with 110 faculty signatures.

“Faculty are part of the Tulane community,” said Justin Wolfe, associate professor of history and the Suzanne and Stephen Weiss presidential fellow. “We need to be involved in the life of the university. That means being involved in the life of students and that means being in the life of staff, and vice versa. So at a fundamental level, if the university really thinks of itself as a community, that means bringing everyone together and thinking about the common good of the university and the common good of everyone who’s a part of it.”

TUSC organized a rally Wednesday supporting the workers’ right to unionize. Kevin Henry, president of Tulane’s African American Congress, delivered a speech to students, who were brandishing signs reading “we expect more for our workers,” “integrity,” and “stop in the name of Bruff [Commons].”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLEpG8USBhY

“The Sodexo workers have been dissuaded from organizing,” Henry said. “They are in horrible conditions. The university has used their bodies and their time and their energy. There has been a cavalier disregard for them as people. We have to remember what this education is all about. We have to remember what our duty is as students, as citizens and as humans.”

Barbara Ehrenreich, Newcomb College’s 2010 Spring Powerhouse lecturer, spoke with Sodexo employees, students and professors Tuesday to discuss unionization efforts.

“This place is supposed to be teaching mathematics, and you don’t have someone to figure out that $8.50 an hour is not enough to live on in New Orleans?” Ehrenreich said.

Joynell Henderson, a Sodexo employee at Dillard University, attended the talk. Dillard University’s Sodexo employees unionized last year.

“I’m glad to be here to help others organize and get the same benefits and everything — to get the same things we got out of our union at Tulane University,” Henderson said.

Dear President Cowen: By Tulane Hullabaloo | Section: Mar 26th, 2010 http://thehullabaloo.com/2010/03/26/dear-president-cowen/ Dear President Cowen: We write to you to address an urgent matter for the Tulane University community. The workers who prepare and serve the food at Bruff Commons, the Lavin-Bernick Center and all other food service locations have been subjected to working conditions that are unacceptable and treatment that is degrading. The food service employees on campus have shown courage and integrity in organizing for change, but have faced resistance and intimidation from Sodexo, Tulane’s contracted food supplier. Sodexo’s behavior belittles Tulane’s core values — humanity, openness, integrity, courage and excellence — treating these as business-speak buzzwords, rather than the beliefs and philosophy of the Tulane community of students, faculty and staff.

The recent unethical meetings held by Sodexo’s upper management to dissuade their employees from organizing (as reported in March 12’s Hullabaloo) exemplify the challenges that workers organizing will and have been facing. In these difficult times, Sodexo’s policy of laying off most employees over the summer leaves workers in a vulnerable position — one that most faculty, staff and students at Tulane will not experience. Sodexo’s unwillingness to guarantee workers a right of first recall in the fall treats them as disposable objects and serves to intimidate a valuable part of our community. We ask that Sodexo give each employee a letter that guarantees his or her first right of recall in the fall. As the president of our university and the leader of our community, we expect you to ensure that Sodexo complies.

As the largest employer in New Orleans and a university that prides itself on its leadership in the community, we believe it is only logical that you implement a labor code of conduct. Tulane’s employees, whether employed directly or through contractors and subcontractors, must be allowed the unimpeded exercise of their legal rights. This means the right to unionize by any legal method, including majority sign up, free from intimidation, so they can improve their working conditions. But words are not enough. Tulane must show its commitment through action. Therefore, it is

imperative that Tulane implement a labor code of conduct that will bind Tulane and its contractors to these fair and legal provisions. Xavier and Dillard have already demonstrated their support for workers’ rights and this is an opportunity for Tulane to take the initiative among major American universities in ensuring fair labor practices on campuses.

Tulane must hold to its core values, and we expect you to take the lead. A petition supporting our proposal has been signed by 1,069 students. The implementation of a labor code of conduct, the right of workers to organize and the first right of recall for Sodexo employees is most urgent. As a sign of good faith, we expect a response from you no later than April 8 regarding Tulane’s implementation of these policies.

Since the levees broke in 2005, you have been asking us as students and as a community if we wanted to make a difference. Today we ask you the same question. We must remember that the bottom line is not the source of our humanity, our integrity or our excellence. As a wise man once said, “the measure of your life will ultimately be determined by what difference you make for others, not just what you do for yourself.” Let it be known that we are prepared to make that difference at Tulane.

Sincerely,

African-American Congress Men of Color Amnesty International Tulane University Solidarity Committee

Workers and Students Rally at Emory University

Editor's Note: Today's event at Emory University coincides with actions Sodexo workers and allies are undertaking

in 11 states to protest Sodexo's campaign of intimidation against workers seeking to improve their conditions - which

is now the basis of 16 unfair labor practice charges pending before the National Labor Relations Board.

Today, students and Sodexo food service workers from Emory University, Morehouse College, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State University - and accompanied by elected officials and community leaders - rallied for workers' right to respect on the job and against Sodexo's efforts to interfere with workers' rights to form a union.

Sodexo food service workers at colleges in the Atlanta area have faced interference by Sodexo management with their right to form a union. Sodexo employs more than 700 workers in the Atlanta area.

This morning on Emory's campus, workers, students, and allies rallied in front of the university's dining hall. Workers spoke about the

disrespectful way they are treated on the job. Students from Emory, and nearby colleges like Morehouse and Georgia Tech, talked about the importance of making their universities to which they pay tuition, uphold university codes of conduct and treat workers fairly and with dignity, respecting workers' rights to organize.

After the spirited rally, workers and students delivered a memo to Sodexo managers on campus - managers who just happened to be taking their brunch nearby. Surrounding the managers, the group asked for a meeting to discuss the issues. Afterward, the group entered the dining hall, passing out leaflets to Sodexo workers on the job and to the rest of the campus community.

Emory Student: "Today Made Me Think About What it's Like to be an Employee of Sodexo" By Laura, Emory Student - 6:47 PM - April 13, 2010

Editor's Note: Today workers and students held a rally at Emory University calling for respect on the job and an end

to interference with Sodexo workers' rights to form a union. This event coincides with actions Sodexo workers and

allies are undertaking in 11 states to protest Sodexo's campaign of intimidation against workers seeking to improve

their conditions--which is now the basis of 16 unfair labor practice charges pending before the National Labor

Relations Board.

Today on the campus of Emory University, students and workers from across Atlanta gathered to publicly protest the lack of dignity and respect that Sodexo workers receive from their employer and the university. We directly (including myself) spoke to Sodexo manager Joe Mitchell and the dean of campus life, John Ford. Both of them refused to speak with us and, in the case of the latter, looked for an excuse to get away.

Group Calls on Administration for Labor Changes

By Tiffany Han Posted: 04/12/2010 http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=28351 Photo Courtesy of Sophia Teona Students and Workers in Solidarity held a demonstration last Friday because the administration had not met demands by noon that day, a deadline the administration had promised. Students and Workers in Solidarity (SWS) rallied on Friday after the administration dismissed their demands for the University to implement a new code of conduct and a president’s commission on the status of labor. The group, composed largely of Emory students and workers dedicated to voicing Sodexo employee concerns, first communicated these demands to University President James W. Wagner in a March 15 meeting, notifying the administration that a demonstration would follow if demands were not met by April 9 at noon. Alleging that Sodexo management failed to uphold fair and ethical working conditions, students cited the need for Emory to play a monitoring role. Navyug Gill, a third-year graduate student in the history department, said the primary problem concerned the “two tiers of standards” for workers on campus: one for Emory employees and a “subordinate” standard for those hired by subcontractors. To reconcile this difference, Gill said, the group drafted a new code of conduct to establish a uniform labor standard based on both the University’s existing Statement of Ethical Principles and on Sodexo’s code of ethics.

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Gill said SWS then called on the administration to adopt the new code with a president’s commission on the status of labor — which would include administrators, students, faculty and workers — to monitor application of the code. In an April 2 op-ed submitted to the Wheel, the President’s Cabinet maintained that the University “does not control the labor policies of its contractors,” writing that Emory interference would be inappropriate ahead of avenues set in place by “comprehensive labor laws.” Declining to establish a commission on the status of labor, the op-ed further argued that the University has “numerous policies and avenues to address alleged inequities.” Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Laura Emiko Soltis argued that the language in the editorial denied responsibility for “fair and equal treatment of subcontractor employees” even though companies constantly interfere with policies of those operating in their supply chain to ensure standard of practices. She added that the University defers to Sodexo’s claim that no inequities have been committed, yet has no capacity to verify the claim. The administration, Soltis said, referred to official policies as if they were fully exercised. Soltis added that in reality, however, a disjunction exists between what is etched in Sodexo’s code of ethics and what is in practice. “[Sodexo’s] code of ethics is a PR document. The president pointing to this as if it’s actually in practice is dangerous,” Soltis said. Discontent with the administration’s response culminated in Friday’s demonstration, which included more than 45 students from Emory and other metro-Atlanta schools. At 2:30 p.m., Gill, Soltis and College senior Christopher Banks met with Wagner. In an e-mail to the Wheel, Wagner wrote that the University’s position remains that this labor issue is best handled between Sodexo and its employees. “Although neither Emory nor its employees are parties to their discussions, it is our understanding that the normal paths available — through the NLRB, for example — have not yet been pursued,” Wagner wrote. He added that the exercise of Emory’s responsibilities should not precede the responsibility of Sodexo and its employees to seek remedies through established procedures and legal means. Wagner wrote that he hopes students will consider focusing their energy on pursuing existing means to seek solutions to their concerns. Sodexo Resident District Manager Joe Mitchell said that employees have access to a toll-free number where they can voice concerns anonymously, or leave their name and number with the assurance that the information would not be shared in any further investigation of claims. He added that federal and state governments also provide a wide range of resources for employees to express concerns. “To believe that an employee at Emory University doesn’t have a way of reaching out to an outside source isn’t a fact in the state of Georgia, or any other state in the country,” Mitchell said. Soltis said she believes these existing avenues do not suffice. These formal mechanisms, Soltis explained, do not reflect the reality of what happens in the workplace, because employees often still feel intimidated. Furthermore, she added, an editorial submitted by “Employees of Sodexo” and published in the March 2 issue of the Wheel speaks as if from the perspective of food service workers, when the contributors — Allison Arcos, Suzanne Barner, Jymetha Cobb, Whitney Ivey and Lucy Watts — are marketing personnel and a marketing intern. She said she believes the editorial was intended to mislead the community into dismissing concerns previously posed. Soltis added that she believes the group’s two proposals challenge the University’s logic of distancing itself from

subcontracting employees but are not impossible to achieve. “Our requests don’t cost anything financially,” Soltis said. “What we are asking is in complete agreement with this University’s ethical principles.” She added that presidential commissions have always originated from student activists voicing campus concerns and are not a radical or hefty suggestion. Gill said the group will continue to pursue the implementation of their two demands. “It’s only a matter of time before [the administration] realizes they’re on the wrong side of the issue,” Gill said. Banks said he believes Sodexo employees, who still “carry the Emory name,” need to be treated equally under one code of conduct. “I want Emory students to stand up and look at this,” Banks said. “We’re privileged to be at Emory, so let’s use that privilege to help others who do not have the same privileges.” — Contact Tiffany Han.

300 Students and State Union Delegates Hold Massive Sit-In at University of Pittsburgh In an unprecedented show of support for campus food service workers, University of Pittsburgh students, labor leaders and elected officials held a massive sit-in at the school's Market Central dining hall today to protest contractor Sodexo's unlawful attacks on employees' rights. There, more than 150 Sodexo food service workers are trying to form a union, but the company has met their efforts with threats and interrogation. "I really think the union is now the only way we can get a fair wage, affordable healthcare and a guaranteed 40 hour work week," said Sodexo worker David Brown. "But management is trying to stop us from getting the pay and benefits our families need."

In Pittsburgh, workers have filed charges with National Labor Relations Board because Sodexo management threatened and interrogated them for trying to organize. The labor board has launched an investigation into workers' claims.

Today's action temporarily shut down the dining hall, and occurred after students, Sodexo workers and AFL-CIO delegates met at Schenley Plaza for a rally. Holding signs and chanting, students led the charge into the cafeteria, and were followed by hundreds of protesters.

"We went into the cafeteria to tell Sodexo management that workers on our campus should be able to improve their jobs and improve their lives without fear of being fired or intimidated," said University of Pittsburgh student Gabriel McMorland.

Sodexo workers without a union at University of Pittsburgh earn poverty wages--as little as $8.75 an hour--and most can't afford health care coverage. The 150 union Sodexo workers on campus can make nearly 50 percent more an hour and have 90 percent employer paid insurance.

Union takes action against Sodexo

By Eric Shannon Pitt News Tue, 13 Apr, 2010 http://pittnews.com/article/2010/04/13/union-takes-action-against-sodexo A federal labor agency is investigating how Sodexo treats its workers at Pitt.

The National Labor Relations Board began investigating Sodexo, the company that cooks the food in many of Pitt’s dining facilities, after the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ filed a complaint with the board March 23. The union represents some of the Sodexo employees who work in Market Central, The Perch at Sutherland and the William Pitt Union. It has attended several Sodexo workers’ protests on Pitt’s campus. In its complaint, the SEIU states that Sodexo has allegedly engaged in “unfair labor practices” since about January. These practices include, “interrogating a worker about his union activity,” “telling workers that their efforts to organize with a union would be futile,” “threatening to more strictly enforce company rules if the union becomes the collective bargaining representative,” “threatening to eliminate certain workplace privileges if the union becomes the collective bargaining representative,” and “telling a worker that he is not allowed to attend a union meeting and threatening to discipline him for attending such meeting,” according to the complaint.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele declined to comment on the issue.

“This is a national issue between the union and Sodexo,” Fedele said. “We will not be commenting at this time.”

Sodexo has about 400 employees, according to the complaint.

Representatives from Sodexo did not respond to requests for comment last night.

Union organizes protest at Market Central

By Michael Macagnone / Senior Staff Writer

published: Wed, 14 Apr, 2010

State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Allegheny, told people in Market Central yesterday that they haven't seen the last of the demonstrations.

A tide of purple-shirted, yellow-sign-waving protesters descended on Market Central yesterday afternoon.

Protesters from the Service Employees International Union joined a protest by Pitt student group Students in Solidarity with Service Workers.

After a brief but loud protest inside the cafeteria, police asked the protesters to leave. The group soon dispersed after leaving Towers.

“Everyone dispersed as soon as the police asked,” said Pitt junior Shannon Sweeney, a member of the group.

Matt Painter, a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, a union Sodexo employees can join for representation, said the group was protesting against Sodexo’s treatment of its non-unionized workers on Pitt’s campus. Sodexo runs Pitt’s dining services at all of its campuses.

He said that about 150 of Sodexo’s employees at Pitt were not in unions and received worse pay and benefits than unionized workers. The non-union workers were the focus of the protest and SEIU’s action, he said.

Students in Solidarity with Service Workers focuses on “pressuring the University” to help provide better work environments for its employees, Sweeney said. Although the Sodexo employees are not part of the University staff, she said Pitt could dictate the terms of its contract with Sodexo, providing for better pay and work benefits.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele did not have a comment, stating that the protest was an issue between the union and Sodexo.

The local SEIU chapter filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on March 24, alleging that Sodexo employees were coerced and interrogated, according to the National Labor Relations Board website.

"We will take this back to France and the U.K." Global Delegation Marches with Workers and Students at GMU

The 8-person delegation of French and British Sodexo workers and trade unionists had an exciting day Wednesday at George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, VA.

At the college's large cafeteria, Sodexo workers talked with the delegation during their short lunch breaks. What the French and British visitors learned from these conversations shocked them--employer intimidation, lack of respect on the job, concerns with wages and benefits, and Sodexo's strong opposition to workers coming together in a union.

"We are blown away by how brave these workers are," said John Fox of Unison, the largest public services union in the U.K. "At home, it's a God-given right to join a union. Here, workers live in fear."

After spending several hours meeting with a number of workers and organizers, the delegation was joined by supportive GMU students, who--along with those brave Sodexo workers--led the group on a peaceful march through campus to the Sodexo management office.

Each partner union--the CGT and CFDT from France, along with Unison--marched while carrying their own union's flags, a visible sign of global solidarity and support for our campaign.

Two chants--"Tous ensemble! Tous ensemble! Oui ! Oui ! [all together--yes]" along with "No justice, no pizza!" seemed to be the most popular.

Once the group reached the managers' office, however, things got serious. The site manager of Sodexo was called from her office to listen to the group as representatives of the students, workers, and the visiting partner unions voiced their concerns and their desire to meet with management to discuss them.

"We will support our friends in the United States," stated Silvie Emmanuela Beccari, the CFDT National Chief Steward for Sodexo France (Silvie is responsible for organizing Sodexo employees in France; negotiating and monitoring the application of collective agreements within the company, and overseeing worker education programs).

"We ask that these workers be treated fairly," Silvie told the site manager. "And after meeting with workers here, we see that it's not the case. The company needs to work on its image in the United States."

"We will take this back to France and back to the U.K.," members of the delegation told management. Following the march on the managers' office, our international visitors met one-on-one with both students and workers, continuing to hear their stories and taking notes and many photographs.

"People need dignity and respect, and recognition for the work that they do," said Girard Bodard, CGT Regional Chief Steward and a Sodexo worker in the Lyon region of France for 37 years. "We will take the message that we have heard from the workers--concerns over wages and benefits, hours, and lack of dignity and respect--back to France with us."

Elaine Carswell of Unison was moved by the stories she heard Wednesday. "These unfair practices need to stop here--otherwise, they're going to the U.K.," she said. "It's like a virus, and it will spread unless we stop it now."

After the action at GMU, the delegation leapt into a van and onto National Airport in Washington, where they caught a late afternoon flight to Columbus. Tomorrow--on to Ohio State University, where they will once again join with Sodexo workers in unity and solidarity.

Sodexo Worker Addresses Secretary of Labor at First-Ever OSHA Conference on Latino Workers When you think about health and safety issues that face working people, you might not immediately think about people who work in the service sector. But the fact is, janitors, food service workers, and laundry workers face potentially serious health and safety issues every day on the job.

At a conference today focused on how health and safety issues affect Latino workers, Maria Isabel Grijalva--a custodian who works for Sodexo at Whittier College in California--had the opportunity to address Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and a packed room of over 1,000 people that included many regulators from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

On Thursday, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina addressed the conference. "Case after case shows us that joining a union is one of the single greatest ways to protect workers from exploitation and eroding workplace standards. But, labor unions are not enough," said Medina. Latino workers face the highest rates of injury and death on the job. Making matters worse, our broken immigration system keeps immigrant workers in the shadows--afraid to blow the whistle on employers who continue to violate wage and workplace safety laws.

Maria, whose employer has come under fire for its mistreatment of workers, spoke about issues that she faces on the job. Before the meeting, Secretary Solis met privately with a group of workers, including Maria Isabel, who were scheduled to speak at the event.

"We have to use some very harsh chemicals like this one," Maria Isabel told attendees of the conference, holding up a bottle of QC 91 Acid Bathroom Cleaner. "When I use this chemical it makes me cough and makes my eyes water. We

have heard that Sodexo has stopped using this chemical at another location, but at Whittier College we still have to use it. In case we get chemicals in our eyes, there are only two locations on campus that have eye stations. If I needed to get to them from where I am cleaning I would have to go down flights of stairs and walk almost half a block to get there."

Along with her co-workers at Whittier, she's working hard to improve conditions for Sodexo janitors. "We believe that we have to stand up for better conditions," she told the group, eliciting a rousing round of applause. "Last September we came together and started to organize to hold our employer accountable for the bad conditions. We decided that we wanted to form a union so that we could have a contract that guaranteed safer conditions, better wages, and affordable healthcare coverage. A union contract would give us added protection so we can speak up for safer conditions and not be fearful of retaliation."

California Hospital, University Workers Join Week of National Sodexo Actions to Protest Unfair Labor Practices National actions by Sodexo workers spread to California today as workers at Whittier College and Doctor's Hospital Manteca rallied today to protest rights violations by their employer in response to their efforts to improve working conditions and raise their families out of poverty by forming a union.

In Sacramento, workers converged on a Sodexo human resources office. "We had a meeting with these two important people from Sodexo where they told us that Sodexo is a family and that a union is a middle man," says Manteca Sodexo food service worker Sasha Ovieda, who was at the rally. "But I know Sodexo could care less about us."

"It's sad that I work at a hospital, and I don't even have health insurance," says Ovieda.

In Whittier, about 150 people workers met at the Whittier College Campus Center and marched through campus.

"Sodexo supervisors have been trying to discourage us from forming a union, saying that we should be grateful just to have a job when others places are laying off staff," says housekeeper Isabel Grijalva, who couldn't be present at the rally because she was testifying at a health and safety conference in Houston sponsored by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. "But I know that they are just trying to scare us. I tell my coworkers not be afraid, because we have the right to make our own decision. Sodexo can't fire us for that."

In recent months, Sodexo workers in eight states have filed 16 "unfair labor practices" charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Sodexo for illegal firings, interrogations, and surveillance. In Manteca, Sodexo management followed up on threats to hospital cafeteria workers that it would eliminate a benefit of free meals if the workers continue to support forming a union, and restricted their rights to speak about union activities. These actions, which would violate federal law, are currently being investigated by the National Labor Relations Board. And at Whittier College, Sodexo housekeepers faced intimidation from their supervisors and mandatory staff meetings.

At the time they were faced with Sodexo's unfair labor practices, Sodexo workers throughout California were trying to organize to improve abusive working conditions including health and safety problems; inadequate staffing levels, training and equipment; disrespect; low wages; and inadequate benefits.

Whittier College workers, students, union officials protest against Sodexo

By Tracy Garcia, Staff Writer Whitter Daily News April 14, 2010 WHITTIER - A fight over whether subcontracted housekeepers and janitors should form their own union spilled onto the Whittier College campus Wednesday, as workers and students held a noontime march and protest against Sodexo Inc.

Sodexo, an international company, provides staff for housekeeping and janitorial services at Whittier College on a contract basis.

But at Wednesday's protest, these service workers accused Sodexo of creating obstacles toward unionizing and maintaining a work environment that allegedly includes health and safety problems, inadequate staffing levels and health benefits, and low wages.

They were joined by Whittier College students and leaders from United Service Workers West of the Service Employees International Union, which is encouraging Sodexo workers to unionize.

"We are here for action against unfair labor practices by Sodexo," housekeeper Teresa Bautista told a crowd of about 70 people on the hill above the college's Campus Center.

"There are bad working conditions and poor salaries. We try to do the best we can (at our jobs but) they give us so much work," Bautista said. "And the ones who end up suffering are the students."

By unionizing, workers say, they'll be able to improve working conditions and raise their families out of poverty.

But Sodexo officials said Wednesday's protest - as well as a slew of similar marches and rallies taking place across the country at Sodexosites this week - is part of an "ongoing SEIU smear campaign," said Sodexo spokesman Alfred King.

"The SEIU is organizing the activity on the Whittier campus (and it) spreads misinformation about the company's labor practices and attempts to force the company into dealing with the SEIU to the exclusion of other unions," King said.

"We respect the rights of our employees to unionize or not unionize, as they choose," King said. "SEIU's allegations that Sodexo interferes with workers' rights to unionize are false."

At Wednesday's event, protesters marched around campus and a small delegation presented a petition to college President Sharon Herzberger's office, but she wasn't there.

"We want to reach out to the administration, and ask that President Herzberger sit and talk to workers about what they're facing withSodexo," said Andrew Gross Gaitan, the SEIU's California multi-service campaign director.

But the college's Dean of Students Jeanne Ortiz said the issue is "really an employment labor matter between Sodexo and its employees. The college does not want to interfere with the process.

"But as an educational institution - especially one founded by Quakers who believe in listening to diverse voices - the college seeks to take advantage of situations like this to encourage (everyone) to examine all sides of the issue and learn from the experience," she said.

[email protected]

Students protest Sodexo Demonstration brings attention to service worker conditions

Neslie Tumulac Quaker Campus

April 15, 2010 http://media.www.quakercampus.org/media/storage/paper1281/news/2010/04/15/News/Students.Protest.Sodexo-3906446.shtml Despite a busy lunch hour, students passing through the Campus Center took notice of passionate chants for justice and paused to witness a crowd of protesters gathering in the courtyard at noon on Wednesday, April 14. Approximately 70 students faculty, administrators, union supporters and members of the housekeeping staff turned up for the demonstration with signs in hand to protest the working conditions of housekeepers at Whittier College, who are employed by the French-based corporation, Sodexo.Â "I realize how difficult it is to motivate students to be active and participate," junior Veronica Moreno said. "But I'm really happy with the turnout and that faculty was also able to come out." As the gathering proceeded to a large grassy area by the Campus Center, students hanging out nearby positioned themselves attentively to listen to the stories of grievances and the shouts of supports that could be heard from a circle of people over speakerphone. The protest at Whittier, which is part of a national movement concerning Sodexo's treatment of its employees, concluded with a march throughout the lower campus. At that time, several individuals left a worker petition for improved wages and working conditions at the office of President Herzberger, who was unavailable to receive the petition in person. The protest lasted approximately 40 minutes.Â "We want to raise awareness," first-year Amber Orozco said. "It's important for people to know about it because then they want to act." The protest was organized a month ago by the recently organized Whittier College Students for Workers who met with Whittier College administrators and Campus Safety for proper authorization of the event. After receiving approval the protest was advertised to students a week and a half ago. "Some people are really shy about doing this sort of thing," Orozco said. "But if we get more people together we'll have more of a voice."Â Student efforts for improved housekeeping conditions have been active at Whittier as early as February. Since that time, members of Whittier College Students for Workers have met for lunch with the housekeepers on a weekly basis to discuss working conditions and progressive efforts to create and implement a code of conduct for contracted employees at Whittier College. A completed code of conduct was e-mailed to the student body on March 22 and finally presented to Whittier Vice President of Finance Jim Dunkleman on April 2. The code of conduct is intended for employees contracted, subcontracted and hired by Whittier and guarantees certain basic rights concerning working conditions, wages and procedures for addressing grievances.Â Whittier College Students for Workers, who describe their objectives as pro-worker, neither supports nor rejects the idea of unionizing the housekeepers although they collaborate with Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a fast-growing union in North America that focuses on improving the lives of employees in the healthcare, property services and public services through unionizing. According to an involved student, there have been no disagreements between the groups so far, although some Whittier College employees disagree with unionizing. "I'm against the union," four-year Whittier College maintenance employee Robert Benitez" said. "We have a job and there are a lot of people unemployed now. I work for Sodexo, too, and we might lose the contract."

Whittier College Students for Workers is currently awaiting the response of Dunkleman regarding the code of conduct and hopes to implement this code in the near future. The organization also plans to keep in contact with the housekeepers, stay updated and continue working with workers and administration. http://media.www.quakercampus.org/media/storage/paper1281/news/2010/04/15/News/Students.Protest.Sodexo-3906446.shtml

Northwestern's Shantytown Almost 20 Sodexo workers at Northwestern University constructed a "shantytown" in front of the school's administration building in order to protest poverty wages paid to the workers, as well as alleged civil rights and federal labor law violations committed against workers by the company. At around 3:30 p.m. yesterday in front of the Northwestern Administration Building, Rebecca Crown Center, in Evanston, IL, Sodexo workers at Northwestern, some who are paid as little as $9.40 per hour and are forced to rely on public assistance for medical care, stood up for their rights and said "Enough is Enough! It's time to clean up Sodexo!"

Among the workers at Northwestern who have been protesting the threats, harassment, and firings by Sodexo of its employees who tried to take a stand, include Rafael Crudup, a parent who makes so little he has to live at the YMCA.

Look Who's Taking Note of our "Spring Cleaning"

In press coverage across the country and around the world, the media is taking note of Sodexo workers and their supporters who are standing up against attacks on workers' efforts to form a union.

Yesterday in New Orleans, wage theft, racial discrimination, poverty-level wages and inadequate health care were among the allegations against Sodexo at a New Orleans City Council committee meeting.

The Times-Picayune reported how several workers spoke up, saying "that even after years on the job, their wages are so low they must rely on food stamps and free or reduced-price school lunches to feed their families and are unable to afford adequate health insurance.

"Others said Sodexo does not offer opportunities for promotion and advancement and has fired at least one worker who supported the...union...."

Respected French publications such as Agence France Press and Le Figaro are reporting not only on the delegation of French CGT and CFDT

union representatives who are now visiting the United States this week (along with British Unison representatives) to participate in the several days of action against Sodexo's behavior.

The CFDT's Enrique Cuevas told AFP, "For us, this is a long-term campaign involving inter-union and international solidarity."

Le Figaro also detailed Representative Loretta Sanchez' demand for a U.S. government investigation of the services Sodexo provided to U.S. Marines, citing waste and possible sanitary issues, specifically giving an example of the delivery of "3,000 chickens contaminated with the listeria bacteria to the military bases of Camp Pendleton in San Diego."

And university and college newspapers across the country continue to cover the amazing solidarity that students are showing Sodexo workers' on their campuses, through rallies, marches, and other demonstrations against Sodexo's insistence of poverty wages and inadequate access to affordable health care, wage theft, ongoing allegations of discrimination, and unsafe working conditions for its workers.

Sodexo's workers have been met with interrogation, threats, surveillance, and even terminations, as part of a deliberate campaign by Sodexo to suppress its own workers' efforts to seek humane and just working conditions.

We won't be silent anymore!

Twenty More Arrests as Sodexo Protests Spread to Ohio State University

Twenty people were arrested at Ohio State University today as part of a rally protesting the mistreatment of campus Sodexo food service workers seeking to improve their conditions. TheColumbus Dispatch reported on the protest today, citing the "poverty wages" that Sodexo pays "and that most employees are part-time and don't receive health-care coverage."

About 10 workers and 10 OSU students marched from the quad on campus down High Street, the main thoroughfare that runs alongside campus. The group sat down in a straight line right in front of the new student union, on city property. Linking arms and chanting "O-H-I-O...Clean Up So-dex-o!!," the group received two police warnings before being arrested and put in a paddy wagon. Workers--one of whom was Wayne Suber, who is in a wheelchair--were supported by other students and workers who continued rallying, chanting, and holding banners on the side of the street, protesting Sodexo's actions against workers seeking to form a union. This activity is the basis of 16 unfair

labor practice charges pending before the National Labor Relations Board in eight states.

Three news helicopters hovered overhead as over 200 OSU students, community members, and service workers protested. They were joined by an international delegation of French and British trade unionists who are supporting U.S. Sodexo workers who are standing up.

Sodexo employees at OSU's athletics facilities are paid poverty wages and most have no access to affordable health care. Sodexo workers at Ohio State University and on campuses across the country who are campaigning to improve their working conditions have come under attack by Sodexo in recent months including interrogations, surveillance, and even firings of union activists.

Among those who stood up for their rights are the Snell family. At least 12 of Sara Snell's immediate family members work for Sodexo at OSU--and more if you count in-laws. Since starting work for Sodexo in 2002, Sara has always needed a second job to pay the bills and raise her kids.

"I want better for my kids. I won't let them work for Sodexo," Sara says. "I want them to have a chance to succeed by advancing on the job and Sodexo doesn't give you that option. If someone works hard every day, they should have advancement opportunities. I don't have that."

Sara's mom Marcia only makes $14,000 a year, can't afford health insurance, and has no paid sick days.

"I need health insurance, but can't afford it. I need eyeglasses but can't buy them," Marcia says. "Obviously, I do my job well or they wouldn't have kept me for 10 years. I'm tired of begging for a raise and I'm tired of sacrificing time with my kids for a job that keeps us in poverty."

"If we were all treated the same--if the rules applied to everybody--then we'd be a lot happier in our job. I see women who are hired earn less than the men who get hired at the same time for the same job. I don't think that's fair."

The Snells want more for their family and their community, so they took a stand.

Another Sodexo employee who marched today is Sandy Dailey, a Sodexo food service worker at OSU. Though she's worked for Sodexo for 9 years, she's never had access to affordable health insurance.

On just $9 an hour, Sandy can't afford to pay for medical care out of pocket so she hasn't seen a doctor in 3 years despite having a serious heart condition.

Sandy has already had two heart attacks at work after having to lift boxes of syrup for soda--some as heavy as 60 pounds. She is supposed to take medicine for her high blood pressure but can't afford it.

The last time she complained of chest pain and declined to lift the boxes, her Sodexo supervisor didn't schedule her to work for a whole week afterwards.

"So I lift the boxes," she says, tears streaming down her face. "I know I shouldn't, but what choice do I have? If I don't do it, I don't get scheduled."

Sodexo workers from France and England joined the Ohio State University march, standing in solidarity with the U.S. Sodexo workers. French and British unions along with SEIU are working together to secure a global guarantee from Sodexo to improve pay and working conditions and guarantee the right of Sodexo workers to be able to join a union without opposition.

Global Delegation Meets with OSU Workers Before This Afternoon's Rally Sodexo workers and unionists from France and the United Kingdom began their day in Columbus, Ohio, meeting with workers, students and SEIU members before a large rally at Ohio State University.

The visiting delegation was especially moved by the workers, students and staff who will be participating in civil disobedience at the rally.

"I think it's courageous," said Emilie Wirtz of the CFDT in France. "It's especially courageous for students who aren't in the profession."

"In France, when they see this, they will have an idea of what can happen to workers here," said Silvie Emmanuela Beccari of the CFDT. "This will mobilize the French wage workers even more."

Wayne Suber, Sodexo worker at Ohio State, is participating in today's civil disobedience because he wants to inform the greater community about the injust labor practices that Sodexo implements at their worksite, such as hiring through nepotism, working people as "part time" but through full-time hours. "I feel that this is unjust--workers should be rewarded through their hard work."

Mr. Suber is a proud member of the US Air Force and comes from at least four generations in the military service.

Brian Smith, an original member of SEIU Local 1 in Ohio, said, "I am very excited to have our European brothers and sisters here to support Sodexo workers in their struggle to organize."

Elaine Carswell, of the UK union Unison, wrote a quick email update to her family. "People willing to put themselves in jail for the cause! I wonder how many people would do this at home?"

Ohio State protest ends with 20-25 arrests By Bill Bush The Columbus Dispatch

Thursday, April 15, 2010 3:43 PM Between 20 and 25 protesters were arrested this afternoon after they sat in the middle of N. High Street during a demonstration against the company that runs food-service operations for Ohio State University's sports venues. The Service Employees International Union helped organize protests in Ohio and nine other states. Protesters said Sodexo pays "poverty wages" and that most employees are part-time and don't receive health-care coverage.

At Ohio State, students and Sodexo workers marched from the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library to the new Ohio Union.

The union said ahead of time that civil disobedience was expected. The way it went down was negotiated beforehand with Columbus police, said Lt. Christopher Bowling.

Protesters walked into High Street during a red light and sat down. Columbus police then warned the demonstrators that they would be arrested if they did not move. Then officers moved in. The demonstrators did not resist arrest, and some even joked with officers as they waited in line at a police wagon.

Bowling said they would be charged with disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

Demonstrations were also planned today in California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

25 protestors arrested for blocking High Street

By Ben Brown The Lantern

Thursday, April 15, 2010

http://www.thelantern.com/campus/25-protestors-arrested-for-blocking-high-street-1.1345041

Twenty-five people were arrested for sitting on High Street, near Ohio State campus, Thursday afternoon in protest against what protestors deem as unfair labor practices of an OSU-contracted food-service company.

With signs and bullhorns of more than 50 additional protestors flanking High Street, 25 people sat on the crosswalk in front of the Ohio Union’s east entrance.

“We were here waiting for them,” Columbus Police officer Christopher Bowling said. “Each of the students arrested will be reported to OSU Judicial Affairs.”

The protesters consisted of members of the Service Employees International Union and employees of the multinational food-service giant Sodexo, which made more than a half billion dollars in profit last year.

OSU has a contract for Sodexo to provide food-service workers for the Ohio Stadium, Schottenstein Center and other venues. Campaigning for better wages and affordable health care, these workers sought help from President E. Gordon Gee.

Sodexo employees and union members sent an e-mail to request a meeting with Gee that said, “through OSU’s contract with Sodexo, you have the ability to ensure that OSU subcontracted employees are able to organize and collectively bargain without fear of intimidation or discrimination.”

“Gee e-mailed us back and said he would allow no more than four students to meet with him,” said Meghan Day, third-year in computer science and a Sodexo employee. “We expected Gee to be polite and then do nothing about it. But he was rude and hardly let us talk.”

As such, protesters held three large signs with caricatures of Gee drawn over the words “silent on Sodexo abuses,” “refusing to hear our voices” and “turning a blind eye to campus workers,” respectively.

Each of the students that met with Gee was committed enough to the cause to volunteer to be arrested in what the union’s Web site called “the largest act of civil disobedience Columbus has seen since the Vietnam War era.”

“These employees wanted to alert the community of the Sodexo working conditions they face everyday,” the union representative Juanita Sanchez said of the planned protest.

“We started at the library then marched around the Oval before stopping at High Street,” Sodexo employee Sandy Dailey said. Columbus Police said they found fliers yesterday informing them of the protest. “We knew they planned to sit down on the crosswalk,” Bowling said. “But sometimes protestors back out, so we waited until they actually sat down and caused a problem.”

Cars heading in both directions were forced to stop before police officers on horseback officially blocked traffic. “We didn’t want the protestors there but we had to protect them,” Bowling said.

Thirty seconds after protestors blocked the street, the police read an official warning that began “you are hindering movement of persons on public property.”

Next, officers waited 30 more seconds for the protestors to comply before reading the warning a second time. “They weren’t going anywhere,” Bowling said.

Officers then tapped each of the 25 street-blockers on the shoulder while informing them they were being placed under arrest for disorderly conduct, which is a fourth-degree misdemeanor. The police made sure the protestors knew to come peacefully to avoid further charges.

“They wanted to make a point but didn’t want it to be a mess,” Bowling said. “And neither did we.”

The mission statement for Service Employees International Union is to “improve the lives of workers and their families to create a more just and humane society.” And coordinated chants of “si se puede!” and “yes we can!” echoed the protestors’ collective commitment to those ends.

“Many of these workers are unable to support their families on the poverty wages that Sodexo pays,” SEIU communication specialist Laurie Couch said. “They need a voice on the job and they need respect and dignity.”

As one of three massive international companies that dominate the low-wage service industry Thursday’s protestors work for, Sodexo uses its might to intimidate would-be unionizers.

“The old model of unionizing doesn’t work against multi-national companies like Sodexo,” Couch said.

Poorly treated workers typically form unions to improve their working conditions by signing a petition signaling their intent to vote for one. But there is a four to six week period before that vote that companies use to intimidate its employees, Day said.

As an alternative to this official National Labor Relations Board election process, Sodexo workers opted for a majority sign-up system that uses secret balloting so that companies can’t target individuals. Also called a card check system, this method became an option with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 and is used in dealing with larger corporations like Sodexo.

“In the meeting with protestors, Gee said card checks is the soviet way of doing things,” Day said. Once protestors dispersed from High Street, those with Gee signs moved to continue protesting in front of his office.

Thursday’s protest was part of a week of action against Sodexo around the country, which included 14 separate protests in 10 states ranging from New Jersey to California. Each is documented on the movement’s Web site, cleanupsodexo.org.

The OSU protest is of particular interest to the movement. “Ohio State is the largest university in the country,” Sanchez said. “It has the power to influence others.”

French and British Partners Reaffirm Their Support at OSU Rally

Under a blindingly hot sun this afternoon at the campus of Ohio State University, the delegation of Sodexo workers from France and Great Britain joined with Sodexo workers from OSU in an emotional rally, march and civil disobedience at one of the largest universities in the country.

SEIU Executive Vice President Mitch Ackerman greeted the group, saying, "Sodexo's corporate motto is 'Quality of life solutions.' When workers are paid as low as $7.50 per hour...that's not a quality of life solution."

Ackerman recognized the global nature of the Sodexo campaign, and introduced the international delegation from both the U.K. and the country that is home to Sodexo, France.

"We will do our best to make Sodexo understand and admit that they must recognize union rights in the United States," stated Silvie Emmanuela Beccari of the French labor federation CFDT. "It is unconscionable to work in the same company and to see the wages, treatment, working conditions and the lives of workers here so different to those in France.

"You can count on our support," Silvie concluded. "We will attempt to mobilize every worker in France so that the voice of workers in the United States is heard."

Jean-Michel Dupire of the CGT was moved by the support of students, the community and clergy, Sodexo workers and allies, at the rally. "We have come to show our support," he said. "And because of your strong will and commitment, I am convinced that your flight will be a winning fight. We encourage workers to continue to organize because there is strength in numbers."

Bob Oram of Unison next took the bullhorn and stirred the emotion of the crowd. "These days, every worker in the world is suffering, because we've got companies who believe that the 'race to the bottom' is right--and they've sacrificed principles for profit," he said. He led the group in a chant of "three important words--organize, organize, organize!"

Following the rally, Sodexo workers, student allies, global union partners and community members marched through the main center courtyard at the OSU campus--where hundreds of students sat on the grass in the hot midday sun--some showing support of the march, others asking questions of the participants.

With chants such as "O-H-I-O, Clean up Sodexo" and the French chant "Tous ensemble! Oui!" the group marched to a busy intersection in front of the OSU student union on High Street.

There, students, Sodexo workers and organizers sat on the intersection, blocking the streets in a peaceful protest, and were arrested by Columbus police.

While the crowd continued to chant, those who participated in the civil disobedience were handcuffed and taken away.

As the members of the visiting global delegation watched the action, they were visibly moved, with tears in their eyes.

"They're all just so courageous," said Elaine Carswell of Unison.

Sodexo Workers at George Mason University On Strike In response to rampant mistreatment by food service contractor Sodexo, around 75 cafeteria workers at George Mason University went on strike today. The one-day work stoppage is in protest of Sodexo's attack on workers' right to raise their families out of poverty by forming a union with 32BJ SEIU.

"All we want is respect and to improve our lives but Sodexo management has only responded by intimidating and threatening us", says Andres Ujueta, one of the striking cafeteria workers at George Mason University.

Despite their dedication and hard work, GMU cafeteria workers earn a poverty wage--as little as $8.65 an hour. With Sodexo's healthcare plan costing $240 a month, most workers say they can't afford health insurance for their families.

Since George Mason cafeteria workers began forming a union, they have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by Sodexo management. Earlier this

month, the workers voted to strike. Before taking this action workers have demonstrated their support to form a union by holding rallies and delivering petitions to Sodexo management.

Yesterday union leaders representing Sodexo workers in England and France met with George Mason cafeteria workers and students and were shocked at the conditions and treatment workers faced. Click here to read more about the visit of the global delegation to GMU.

George Mason Strike Grows to 100 As night shift workers at George Mason University report to work, their strike has now grown to over 100 people.

The strike has received amazing coverage from the Washington Business Journal and GMU's newspaper, Connect2Mason, which reports:

"We want to be able to choose to have a union so we can defend our rights," said [Ana] Urias, who works at Jazzman's in the Johnson Center. Around 1 p.m., the workers began marching to campus, where they gathered at the North Plaza with signs, that read "Sodexo Unfair, Clean up Sodexo," and shouting "Sodexo escucha!," "Si se puede!" and "Estamos listos!"

As readers of this blog know, Sodexo has been suppressing workers seeking to make this choice, which has led to 16 unfair labor practice charges filed in 8 states and spurred worker protests.

This morning, at least one campus cafeteria had to shut down operations because of the strike.

Sodexo cafeteria workers strike at George Mason University Jeff Clabaugh Washington Business Journal April 15, 2010

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/04/12/daily52.html

Dozens of cafeteria workers at George Mason University walked off the job Thursday in protest over what they

say is harassment by their Gaithersburg employer, Sodexo Inc., since agreeing to unionize.

Union leaders also say a number of George Mason students rallied with the Sodexo employees, about 100 of which took part in the protest, according to union spokesperson Julie Karant. The union is also protesting what it says are low wages and high health insurance costs. “Sodexo made more than $1 billion in profits last year, and instead of paying workers what their families need, the company would rather use its immense resources to attack workers’ rights,” said Jamie Contreras, director of the 32BJ SEIU district. Sodexo said the protestors represent a small portion of its workforce, and calls it part of an ongoing smear campaign by the SEIU against the company. “We respect our employees rights as defined by our labor laws, and believe that most employees are very satisfied with their work experience at Sodexo, based on many third-party recognitions of the company as a great place to work,” said Sodexo spokesman Alfred King in an e-mailed statement. He also cited Sodexo’s employee turnover rate, which he described as the lowest in the company’s industry.

Sodexo has about 450 employees at George Mason University and 6,500 employees in the Washington region. Earlier this week, Sodexo was one of six companies listed by Working Mother Magazine on its first annual list of best places to work for hourly employees. The one-day work stoppage at George Mason University is part of what the union called a national week of action, with Sodexo cafeteria workers and janitors participating in strikes in 11 states. George Mason University officials said they are keeping an eye on the situation, but not involved in the employee matters. “George Mason University is monitoring the current dispute between Sodexo and members of its workforce,” said Dan Walsch, spokesman for the university. “Mason views this as an internal matter for Sodexo. The university hopes the points of disagreement within Sodexo are resolved quickly and in a manner that is beneficial to all concerned. Presently, the dispute has not resulted in any disruption of services to our students and employees,” Walsch said. “Mason remains committed to ensuring that these services continue.”

Over 5,000 Letters of Support Come Pouring In

Over the course of the week, the community support for Sodexo workers and this campaign has truly been awe-inspiring.

Since the week began, we've had the honor of receiving over 5,000 letters of support from people across the country.

It's hard to demonstrate the scope of that. So we've taken all of the words and generated something called a word cloud. The larger the word, the more times it was used by those who wrote in. Take a look and see:

We took this word cloud, along with some of the best quotes, and delivered them to Sodexo workers across the country. This way, they know the amazing people that are standing with them.

Workers Strike in Pittsgrove to Protest Against Intimidation

In response to rampant mistreatment by food service contractor Sodexo, school cafeteria workers in Pittsgrove Township went on strike today. The one-day work stoppage is in protest of Sodexo's attack on workers' exercise of their federal rights to act together to raise their families out of poverty by forming a union with 32BJ SEIU.

"I love serving the students, and it's hard work," says Denise Powell, one of the school cafeteria workers. "Right now, we can't live off the wages we make. Forming a union is the only way we'll be able to earn enough to put food on our families' tables, and we want to organize without being scared by the company."

Despite their dedication and hard work, Pittsgrove cafeteria workers earn a poverty wage--as little as $7.50 an hour. With Sodexo's healthcare plan costing $240 a month, most workers say they can't afford health insurance for their families.

Since August, when school cafeteria workers began forming a union, they have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by Sodexo management. Earlier this week, the workers voted to strike. Workers are striking at Schlalick High School, Olivet Elementary School, and Deerfield Elementary.

While management rolls out a campaign of coercion, Sodexo employees gained the support of the students they serve. Yesterday, dozens of Pittsgrove students wore T-shirts that read "I'm Supporting My Lunch Lady."

"I'm wearing a support our lunch ladies t-shirt because I believe that the lunch ladies don't get paid enough for their hard work," said Georgia Maitland, a high school student in Pittsgrove. "They get paid $7.50 an hour, which is how much some teenagers make at their jobs. With this pay, it's hard for them to support their families. Sodexo could pay the lunch ladies more."

Sodexo school cafeteria workers in West Orange and Long Branch, both in New Jersey, have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board because intimidation from Sodexo management. The Labor Board is investigating those charges.

"Sodexo made more than $1 billion in profits last year, and instead of paying workers what their families need, the company would rather use its immense resources to attack workers' rights," said Kevin Brown, NJ Area Director of 32BJ SEIU.

As today's actions indicate, workers and students are ready to stand up to Sodexo's attacks on their federal rights.

Pittsgrove School District cafeteria workers stage one-day strike

By Phil Dunn The Sunbeam April 15, 2010, 7:11PM http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2010/04/pittsgrove_school_district_caf.html PITTSGROVE TWP. — Fed up with what they say are low wages and high insurance costs, cafeteria workers in the Pittsgrove Township School District here went on strike Thursday. The one-day work stoppage is in protest of food service contractor Sodexo, who the workers claim has used intimidation tactics to stop the formation of a union with Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union. Workers were on strike at Arthur P. Schalick High School and Olivet Elementary School and at neighboring Deerfield Elementary in Cumberland County. Workers at the Pittsgrove Middle School were not involved in the walkout. Sodexo is contracted by the Pittsgrove Township School District to provide cafeteria workers for the district’s schools. “I love serving the students, and it’s hard work,” says Denise Powell, one of the school cafeteria workers. “Right now, we can’t live off the wages we make. Forming a union is the only way we’ll be able to earn enough to put food on our families’ tables, and we want to organize without being scared by the company.” SEIU officials said Pittsgrove cafeteria workers earn a wage as little as $7.50 an hour. The healthcare plan cost employees up to $240 a month. Alfred King, who is a spokesman for Sodexo, said that he could not confirm these numbers, but that the national average pay is much higher. “The average hourly wage for our employees is $10.51 an hour,” said King. “We pay competitive wages in all of our markets.” The school cafeteria workers, most of whom are local Pittsgrove residents, allege they have been subject to harassment and intimidation by Sodexo management. The plan to unionize has been in the works since August. King said that over 11 unfair labor practices claims have been filed by SEIU against Sodexo and none of them have been substantiated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). “The allegations that Sodexo is interfering with the group’s right to unionize is false,” said King. “These kinds of campaign tactics are seen across the nation, but in reality Sodexo is great place to work.” Earlier this week, the workers voted to strike and they found a tremendous support from the school population. Thursday, dozens of Pittsgrove students wore T-shirts that read “I’m Supporting My Lunch Lady.” “I’m wearing a support our lunch ladies T-shirt because I believe that the lunch ladies don’t get paid enough for their

hard work,” said Georgia Maitland, a Schalick high school student. Maitland felt the cafeteria workers should make more. “With this pay, it’s hard for them to support their families,” said Maitland. “Sodexo could pay the lunch ladies more.” Matt Painter, assistant communications director for Local 32BJ of the SEIU, said that with a union contract workers could see wages increase by 20 percent or $1.30 and hour. “In addition to money, union members see improvements to their health care coverage, pensions, have more paid sick days and greater protections on the job,” said Painter. Pittsgrove Township Superintendent of Schools Henry Bermann said the matter that is between the two parties — the company and the union. The district does not negotiate wages for the workers. “Every three years we go out to bid on the service and the lowest bidder gets the contract,” said Bermann. Sodexo has been handling the lunch service since it was privatized in the district in 2001. “Our plan is very simple. It is to make sure Sodexo meets the terms and conditions of the contract,” said Bermann. “The walkout did not disrupt the food service and I don’t see it affecting tomorrow (Friday) or any day thereafter.” Looking for support from local government bodies, cafeteria workers attended the Pittsgrove Township Committee meeting on Wednesday night. The committee was open to helping the cafeteria workers anyway they could. “How can we help?” asked Committeeman Pete Voros. Thursday’s strike falls within a national week of action where Sodexo cafeteria workers, janitors, students, religious leaders and elected officials in 11 states are participating in rallies and strikes. Cafeteria workers here are optimistic and so far 20 of the 25 cafeteria workers in the school district have signed on to join the union.

Cafeteria Workers Walk Out

Joseph P. Smith

Vineland Daily Journal

April 16. 2010

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160314

PITTSGROVE -- Cafeteria service workers seeking to form a union staged a one-day walkout from three

The school district said 11 workers engaged in the action, less than half the staff, and food service was not halted.

The job action did not target the school district, but rather food service vendor Sodexo, an international firm that has

had the school cafeteria contract for more than a decade.

The New York City-based union 32 BJ, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, organized the action.

An effort to form a union, so far unsuccessfully, began in August.

"Right now, we can't live off the wages we make," cafeteria worker Denise Powell said. "Forming a union is the only

way we'll be able to earn enough to put food on our families' tables, and we want to organize without being scared by

the company."

In a press release Thursday, union spokesman Matthew Painter accused Sodexo of "rampant mistreatment" and

attempting to halt the unionization drive. He said the "vast majority of workers" in the district have signed a petition to

form a union.

"Since August, when school cafeteria workers began forming a union, they have been subjected to harassment and

intimidation by Sodexo management," the release stated. "Earlier this week, the workers voted to strike."

Sodexo spokesman Alfred King said allegations of intimidation are false. The union is engaged in a "smear campaign"

at a number of work sites, he said.

"Sodexo will stand by the results of a secret ballot election monitored by the National Labor Relations Board," King

said. "Which SEIU can petition for -- but has not."

Sodexo has talked to the Vineland public school system about taking over management and purchasing functions for its

cafeteria system, and the firm gave a presentation March 3 to the school board. Sodexo already operates at Cumberland

Regional, Upper Deerfield and Winslow Township high schools, as well as Rowan University. The job action affected

Arthur Shalick High School, Olivet Elementary School and Deerfield Elementary School.

District Superintendent Henry Bermann said state police were called when strikers refused to leave district property.

Bermann said the job action is a matter for Sodexo and the union, and the district has had no complaints about the

company.

"Wages are what they are," Bermann said. "At this point in time, that is an issue between them and the employer. We

don't get information as to what they pay them, what kind of benefits they have."

Bermann criticized the union for what he said was their decision to involve students.

Cafeteria workers in Pittsgrove strike against company in talks to handle food services in Vineland By Daniel Walsh Press of Atlantic City April 15, 2010 http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_3d54fe6c-48de-11df-8ea7-001cc4c03286.html Pittsgrove Township school cafeteria workers struck Thursday against the company that runs the cafeterias and is in talks to potentially do the same in Vineland.

The cafeteria workers and the union with which they are seeking to organize said they initiated the one-day stoppage in response to alleged harassment and intimidation by Sodexo, which manages Pittsgrove's school kitchens and employs the workers. "Right now, we can't live off the wages we make," said Denise Powell, one of the school cafeteria workers. "Forming a union is the only way we'll be able to earn enough to put food on our families' tables, and we want to organize without being scared by the company." The workers have sought to affiliate with Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which is organizing a series of brief strikes and rallies across the country this week. Sodexo spokesman Albert King said Thursday's walkout in Pittsgrove was part of that broader campaign, as well as a campaign against Sodexo. "This is part of an ongoing smear campaign against Sodexo," King said. When asked to describe the harassment and intimidation alleged to be ongoing, the union supplied a cafeteria worker named Mary Jane Johnson, who said employees were pulled into a meeting shortly after filing for the right to organize as a union last year. "I think the message that they were trying to send us was the union was a bad thing," Johnson said. Vineland school officials are looking to hire a management firm to oversee their central kitchen, located at Thomas W. Wallace Jr. Middle School. As part of that, school leaders have engaged in talks with Sodexo, which could bid for the work when a request for proposals is put out in the next one to two months, said Anthony Fanucci, a Vineland school board member and the district's finance committee chairman. The kitchen has been losing money each year, and with its top manager set to retire, school officials are looking at changes that could produce profits, Fanucci said. "We want to bring in someone to handle management," Fanucci said. However, officials are not considering replacing district employees, Fanucci said.

Protestors Arrested In Support of Sodexo Workers at Clark University A 50-person march of students, workers, and community members at Cark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, this morning resulted in three arrests when participants blocked traffic in an intersection near campus. Thursday’s event at Clark is one of several across the country this week intended to protest Sodexo’s attacks on employees trying to form a union. “I am a little scared, but they can’t intimidate me,” said Delia Rodriguez, a Sodexo prep cook at Clark who spoke at the rally. “We should not be intimidated at our jobs. We have a right to stand up and fight for our jobs.” Student support organized by the group Clark Unite! has been central to the workers’ struggle at the university, a fact that the Sodexo worker acknowledged to the crowd. “Thanks to the students. This never would have happened without them,” Delia said. “We feel good because we’re not standing alone.” “I know your fight is a courageous fight,” said SEIU Local 615 President Rocio Saenz at the

rally. “As a community, we know this is a matter of when, not if. We are joining today with Sodexo workers across the country. You are showing courage in telling your story. It inspires all of us.” There’s no doubt the student and worker activity at Clark has captured the university’s attention. Just last week, according to an article in Worcester’s Telegram & Gazette, university President John E. Bassett wrote in an open letter to the campus, “Clark University holds dear its belief in ... the right of workers to choose whether or not to be represented through collective bargaining. Workers must be free to make these choices without harassment or intimidation by management or union or supporters of either. While employees of contractors are not technically employees of Clark, all companies with which Clark contracts—through the process of developing the contract—understand and appreciate these University principles and the expectations that go with them.” Still, students and workers know that a letter is not enough, especially given the numerous charges of unfair labor practices by Sodexo across the country, including charges of surveillance and retaliation at Clark, that gave rise to the protests. According to the news report, “Hannah Caruso, a graduate student at Clark and a member of Clark Unite!, said the group was disappointed with the letter. The group wants the university to tell Sodexo that all of its workers must be rehired in the fall regardless of whether they are pro-union. If Sodexo does not commit to that, the group wants Clark to tell dexo that its contract will be ‘at risk,’ Ms. Caruso said.”

In New Orleans, Sodexo Workers Take Their Message to the Street

On the heels of their successful testimony before the New Orleans City Council, about 100 Sodexo workers from Loyola University, Tulane University, the Recovery School District, and Dillard University marched today through the city to protest attacks by their employers on workers' right to form a union.

The march started at Loyola University, went through one of the student cafeterias, then continued along busy St. Charles Avenue to Tulane University, where the march continued to the university president's office. Workers were joined by members of the community and clergy.

In New Orleans, Sodexo workers at Loyola and Tulane universities have been trying to exercise their protected rights in seeking better working conditions for months. Sodexo has responded with a deliberate campaign to suppress its own workers' efforts to seek humane and just working conditions. Along with 16 charges nationwide, there are three unfair labor practice charges pending before the National Labor Relations Board office in New Orleans.

Sodexo is one of the largest employers in the New Orleans region, and as the area leader in food service management sets employment standards for thousands of workers in the market. Both in New Orleans and around the world, Sodexo portrays itself as a responsible employer, pledging, for example, to help recovery efforts as the floodwaters receded in 2005. But almost five years later, workers testified today, Sodexo has failed to live up to its promises.

After five years I received two raises--one for 24 cents, the other for 12 cents--and now I make $8.12 an hour which makes it hard even to pay my bills," said Anthony Thomas, a Sodexo worker at Tulane University. "Just because my coworkers and I are trying to create better jobs for everyone, Sodexo has threatened and illegally questioned my coworkers and that isn't right. I hope Sodexo plays a part in creating good jobs too." District Superintendent Henry Bermann said state police were called when strikers refused to leave district property.

Bermann said the job action is a matter for Sodexo and the union, and the district has had no complaints about the company. "Wages are what they are," Bermann said. "At this point in time, that is an issue between them and the employer. We don't get information as to what they pay them, what kind of benefits they have." Bermann criticized the union for what he said was their decision to involve students.

Sodexo protests reach City Hall Workers attempt to gain support of TU community; N.O. City Council members By Max Coll The Hullabaloo April 16, 2010 http://thehullabaloo.com/2010/04/16/sodexo-protests-reach-city-hall/ Sodexo workers and Service Employees International Union organizers took their unionization efforts to the New Orleans City Council Tuesday, where they attempted to garner the support of council members. City Council President Arnie Fielkow invited Sodexo representatives to the meeting, but none showed up. SEIU representative Tanya Aquino said Sodexo’s absence was yet another sign of disrespect toward its employees. “It’s been the same message all along,” Aquino said. “They’ve been silent, ignored the call for humane treatment of its employees and shown a pattern of retaliation toward its workers discussing unionization.” Aquino said city council members made hard commitments to take a closer look at Sodexo’s labor practices and include the company’s labor record when discussing hiring contracts. Various Tulane and Loyola Sodexo employees testified at the council meeting, including Doris Bisset, who spoke of the unaffordable health expenses that prevented her from getting a much-needed hip surgery for three years. In addition to Tuesday’s efforts at the city council meeting, SEIU representatives and university students organized a rally on Tulane’s campus yesterday, which featured a speech by former mayoral candidate James Perry. “The very simple thing to keep in mind here is that no matter where we are or what we do, we have to put the people first,” Perry said. “These employees are let go every summer and receive no affordable health care. This is not the end but rather the beginning of this fight.” In addition to Perry’s speech, numerous students and Sodexo employees addressed the group of more than 30 students and SEIU members standing outside of McAlister Auditorium with signs reading “Shame on Sodexo.” Brian Ford, a member of the Tulane University Solidarity Club, addressed the crowd as well, focusing on what he called the hypocrisy of Tulane’s values. “The university says we value humanity,” he said. “But what is humane about laying off these workers over the summer and expecting them to provide for their families?” Protesters marched down McAlister Place in yesterday’s rally. Former mayoral candidate James Perry participated. PHOTO | LEE SAXON |PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

At University of Denver, “The Death of Worker Justice” At 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening, Brother David Garner, Prior of the Grey Robed Monks of St. Benedict, Denver, proceeded over a mock funeral for the “Death of Worker Justice at DU.” A rally on the University of Denver’s Driscoll Greens followed, with students, community members, local politicians, and Sodexo workers protesting Sodexo’s unfair labor practices. Workers such as Diana Soto were there, taking a stand for their rights. Diana works as a cook for Sodexo in Nagel at the University of Denver. “I can’t afford healthcare for my kids,” Diana said. “We earn very little sick time, so I save it for when my kids are sick. If I get sick, I have to work anyway, because I don’t have enough sick time. This is a danger to students’ health when we come in sick, but there is no choice.” City Councilman Chris Nevitt, Representative Daniel Kagen, and Representative Joe Miklosi spoke at the rally.

About Diana Soto My name Is Diana Soto. I work for Sodexo as a cook in Nagel at the University of Denver. I have worked here full time for almost 2 years. I have 2 daughters, age 3 and 4. My ex-husband works for Sodexo too, and has been here for five years. During those years, I’ve encountered a lot of injustices to workers. We perform food services all around DU and most of the workers are really hard workers, yet they don’t get respect or fair treatment. We like our jobs; we love to serve the students. We relate to them, we like to hear their stories. I also really love to cook. I have the healthcare plan for myself, but I can’t afford it for my kids. Luckily, my ex-husband is able to cover the kids, even though it’s really hard for him. It costs $120 a week out of his check. If we do get sick, it is hard on us. We earn very little sick time, so I save it for when my kids are sick. If I get sick, I have to work anyway, because I don’t have enough sick time. This is a danger to students’ health when we come in sick, but there is no choice. Most of the time, my coworkers and I are in charge of the kitchen. If there’s a problem, our manager just tells us to fix it. We don’t even go to him sometimes. It creates conflicts between us sometimes, because our manager makes us deal with all the problems. We serve over 700 students between breakfast and lunch in our shift. We are always shorthanded and the manager never steps in to help cover us. I took the initiative to learn all of the roles in the kitchen, and sometimes I’m running two stations. We cover each other when we’re shorthanded, and a lot of time we don’t get a break all day. Whether or not you get a break, the manager says they have to take the break from your check anyway. They put the responsibility on you to take your break, but since there aren’t enough of us, it’s almost impossible. Students sometimes have to walk away and we can’t get to them fast enough. We aren’t fulfilling the needs of the students. They pay a lot for the food service on campus and they deserve better, but management doesn’t care. Most of the time we are short-staffed for coffee, so the manager will just put a sign up saying that we only have drip coffee. He goes and sits in his office, and plays on the internet. Here at Sodexo, certain people move up in the company if they have the right relationships with management. They never post any jobs that were opportunities for advancement. They just pick their favorites for those jobs. When we started being open about forming a union, management got scared and started changing their ways. Our hours that were cut before came back. They cut them and blamed it on the economy. They started talking to us like human beings. The Human Resources person came right away, but before, no one had ever seen her. Our new district

manager finally introduced himself. My local manager even started helping on the line! But they’re getting lazy again, and things are already going back to the old ways. We are organizing here at DU because we are tired of being the backbone of this company and not getting recognized for it. We are not doing this just for us, but for all Sodexo workers!

In Lehigh Valley, PA, One Hundred Area Students and Food Service Workers March in Protest Singing chants and waving signs, nearly 100 students, union members, and cafeteria workers marched through downtown Allentown today to protest food service provider Sodexo's unlawful attacks on employees' efforts to improve their jobs. As they snaked their way through the city, ralliers protested at buildings that use the food service giant to manage their cafeterias. "I work at a hospital but can't see a doctor when I get sick, and my kids can't go see a doctor when they get sick," said Tiffany Lewis, a single mother of two and food tray server at Cedar Crest Hospital who makes $8.25 an hour. "Sodexo is a big company that makes billions of dollars. There's no excuse for it to treat us this way." Hundreds of Sodexo workers at area hospitals and universities are paid poverty wages and most have no access to affordable health care. When workers have stood up for better conditions, Sodexo has responded by unlawfully interrogating, disciplining and threatening workers. Sodexo employees at Lafayette College and Lehigh Valley Hospital have called for the National Labor Relations Board to investigate labor law violations. "Workers from Muhlenberg College, Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Sacred Heart Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital and other Sodexo employed locations are struggling for their basic right to form a union," said Joe Caporoso, current graduate student at Lehigh University and Muhlenberg College graduate. "We cannot let this company continue to break the law and intimidate members of our community."

Lehigh Valley workers protest Sodexo They say food service company is fighting attempts to unionize

By Frank Warner Allentonwn Morning Call April 16, 2010 OF THE MORNING CALL Reporter Gregory Karp contributed to this story. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/all-a10_5sodexho1.72415951apr16,0,7602194.story Food service workers marched in downtown Allentown on Thursday as part of the SEIU union's 10-state protest against the Sodexo company's alleged intimidation of employees who seek to unionize. ''What do we want?'' SEIU organizer Beverly Simms asked the 40 protesters through a bullhorn. ''Justice!'' they replied. ''When do we want it?'' ''Now!'' The workers, employed by Sodexo at hospital kitchens and college cafeterias throughout the Lehigh Valley, walked from the Plaza at PPL to Sacred Heart Hospital chanting slogans and carrying ''Sodexo Unfair'' signs. They said they want Sodexo, a food-service giant headquartered in France, to provide better wages, better benefits and

job security, and they want the company to let them unionize without fear. Jan Bindas-Tenney, organizer for Service Employees International Union Local 32-BJ, said Sodexo workers in the Lehigh Valley have been harassed for even talking about a union. ''There's been interrogations by management, some over union activities,'' she said. ''People are asked, 'Who brought the union here?' They're asked if they signed petitions.'' Jessenia Santiago, one of about 100 kitchen workers at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, said she was marching for better pay and respect. ''I'm a single mom, and if I'm not getting paid the right money, it's hard for me to pay my bills and take care of my daughter,'' she said. Duane Best, who works at LVH-Muhlenberg, said Sodexo can do better for its employees, and a union would give workers more bargaining power. ''This is a multibillion-dollar corporation,'' he said. ''In some places, they do have a union. Why can't they have it here in the Lehigh Valley?'' A Sodexo spokesman said Thursday that 15 percent of Sodexo employees already are unionized, and that portion is more than twice the national average. ''We have over 300 collective bargaining agreements with labor unions across the country, representing almost every major labor union,'' spokesman Alfred King said. ''We respect the rights of our employees to unionize or not unionize, as they choose.'' Stephen Roberson, deputy director of organizing in SEIU Local 32-BJ, said the union next will review how its Thursday ''action day'' of protests went in Pennsylvania and the nine other states. Then the SEIU will determine the best way to improve conditions for Sodexo workers, he said. Sodexo's King said the average wage for Sodexo hourly workers is $10.51 an hour, or $12.61 an hour including company-paid benefits. He said the company pays about two-thirds of health-insurance premiums. King accused SEIU of using false allegations to draw attention to itself in a turf war with another union, Unite Here. SEIU spokesman Matt Painter denied the union rivalry shapes SEIU complaints. Earlier Thursday, an 11-member delegation of workers and union organizers went to the Sodexo offices at 6081 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township, and were turned away when they asked to speak with Sodexo executives. Genevieve Repsher, a Lafayette College food service worker, said the Sodexo office staff also didn't want to accept a letter that made the case for better treatment of employees. The group left the letter anyway.

Copyright © 2010, The Morning Call

Upstate New York

RPI Students, community rally for worker unionization

By Jessica M. Pasko

The Troy Record

April 16, 2010

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/04/16/news/doc4bc7cffd4fedc023096494.txt

TROY — Food service workers at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

have begun unionization efforts,

and students and community

members are working to ensure

their efforts aren’t thwarted.

RPI students held a rally and

march Thursday afternoon to

support the efforts of workers at Sodexo, which operates the food service facilities on the campus. Workers there

have just begun efforts to unionize, according to Amanda Lefton of Workers United Local 471, an affiliate of the

Service Employees International Union. Petitions with over 600 student signatures pledging support for the

workers’ right to unionize were delivered to the dean of students, who promised to give them to RPI President

Shirley Ann Jackson.

RPI students, inspired by similar efforts at Tulane University in New Orleans, want RPI officials to agree to

additional campus protections for workers’ rights, according to RPI graduate student Nick Wilson.

Though the workers have not had their efforts to organize interfered with so far, labor advocates say Sodexo has a

history of anti-union behavior and they’re hoping to preemptively thwart any anti-union behavior by

management. Workers said they’re looking not just to obtain better wages and benefits, but to ensure that

employees have a voice.

Jelisha Evans, who has worked on campus for six years, said she feels the company treats its workers badly,

paying them low wages and providing no opportunities for promotions.

“They treat everybody like they’re nothing,” said Evans.

In recent months, Sodexo the company has come under fire by the union for allegedly violating workers’ right to

unionize in several states.

“We recognize and respects the rights of our employees to unionize or not to unionize, as they choose,” said

Alfred King, a spokesman for Sodexo. “SEIU’s allegations that we interfere with workers’ right to unionize are

false.”

Thursday’s march was aimed at calling attention to what union advocates say are insufficient laws to protect

union organization, and they’re hoping Dr. Jackson will agree to the additional campus protections to protect RPI

workers’ rights, according to Lefton.

Union advocates hope taking preventative measures to get RPI’s support of unionization efforts will help prevent

the type of labor dispute that occurred recently at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham. In that case, workers went

on strike for eight months after four people at the hotel were fired for attempting to organize a union. Despite

reaching a settlement in February to reinstate those workers, they were fired shortly after the settlement was

reached and told that it was because the hotel was under new management. New charges have been filed and

picketing is still continuing at the hotel.

“As a local leader, I have pledged that I won’t expose workers in the Capital District to employers who aren’t

governing by any set of ethical or honorable standards,” said Rev. Mike Roberts, director of Local 471.

Jessica M. Pasko can be reached at 270-1288 or by e-mail [email protected].

RPI cooks want a union, will march on campus today

By Jessica M. Pasko

The Troy Record

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/04/15/news/doc4bc732f844c40216886586.txt

Editor's Note: Check back for an updated version of this story this evening around 5:30 p.m.

TROY - Food service workers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have begun unionization efforts, and students and

community members are working to ensure their efforts aren’t thwarted.

Workers at Sodexo, which operates the food service facilities at the campus, have just started to work toward

unionizing, and recently formed an organizing committee, according to Amanda Lefton of Workers United Local 471,

an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. They’ll be joined by RPI students and community allies this

afternoon for a march to RPI President Shirley Jackson’s office to deliver petitions in support of a labor union

campaign that’s fair and free from fear of repercussions by management.

Though the workers have not had their efforts to organize interfered with so far, labor advocates say Sodexo has a

history of anti-union behavior and they’re hoping to preemptively thwart any anti-union behavior by management.

Sodexo employs over 120,000 people in 10,000 locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. According to

the company’s Web site, Sodexo has collective bargaining agreements with almost every major union in the U.S. and

Canada.

“We recognize and respects the rights of our employees to unionize or not to unionize, as they choose,” said Sodexo

spokesman Alfred King. “SEIU’s allegations that we interfere with workers’ right to unionize are false.”

Members of Clean Up Sodexo, a project of SEIU, say the company has a laundry list of anti-work behavior, despite

trying to promote an image of social responsibility.

In recent months, the company has come under fire by the union for allegedly firing a cashier in the student cafeteria at

Loyola University in New Orleans, for supporting efforts to form a union, interrogating employees at Lafayette College

in Allentown, Pa., and threatening workers at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania. The union also says that

according to charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board, a Sodexo manager at Clark University refused to

leave a union meeting that took place off campus and disciplined a worker for union support. Additionally, a Sodexo

supervisor in the West Orange School District in New Jersey is accused of interrogating workers about union activity,

demanding that workers sign an anti-union petition and promising workers benefits in order to dissuade them from

supporting unionization efforts.

King characterized SEIU’s complaints against the company as being “part of a national smear campaign against

Sodexo.”

This afternoon’s march is also aimed at calling attention to what union advocates say are insufficient laws to protect

union organization, and they’re hoping to get Dr. Jackson to agree to additional campus protections to protect RPI

workers’ rights, according to Lefton.

It’s been organized in part to prevent the type of labor dispute that occurred at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham, in

which workers went on strike for eight months after four people at the hotel were fired for attempting to organize a

union. Despite reaching a settlement in February to reinstate those workers, they were fired shortly after the settlement

was reached and told that it was because the hotel was under new management. Workers United has filed new charges

with the National Labor Relations Board and picketing is still continuing at the hotel.

Rep. Paul Tonko and other local elected officials who supported the efforts of the Holiday Inn Express workers have

called for passing labor law reforms like the Employee Free Choice Act, which would amend the National Labor Reform

Act, which would help protect workers’ rights to organize.

Jessica M. Pasko can be reached at 270-1288, by e-mail [email protected], or @JPaskoTRecord on Twitter

A Dozen Arrests Cap Off Week of National Actions and Energize Workers To Continue the Fight

Capping off a week during which workers marched, struck, and engaged in civil disobedience from coast to

coast, a dozen people were arrested this afternoon at Sodexo’s U.S. headquarters. While the action concludes

five days of intense actions protesting Sodexo’s unfair and illegal treatment of workers, the courageous

actions of workers and allies have pumped even more life into the national movement of workers. Actions

are expected to continue around the country—and around the world—starting next week.

About 200 people attended today’s protest outside Sodexo’s Gaithersburg, Maryland, headquarters,

including workers who went on strike yesterday at George Mason University and the delegation from France

and England who have participated in actions this week

at George Mason and Ohio State University. Among

the diverse group who were arrested during the protest:

• Terry Shelly, a Sodexo worker at Loyola

University who was fired in retaliation for her

union organizing activity

• SEIU President Andy Stern and SEIU Executive

Vice President Mitch Ackerman

• Actor and social justice activist Danny Glover

• A parent of a student at Tulane University in

New Orleans, where Sodexo provides food

service (and where there were major worker

actions this week)

• A student leader from United Students Against

Sweatshops

"Global companies mean global justice, global

contracts and global unions,” announced Andy Stern

acknowledging the representatives from the CGT,

CFDT, and Unison and calling on the birth of a true

global labor movement. “When you take one of us on,

you take all of us on." Jean-Michel Dupire, a delegate

from French union CGT, echoed the thought, "Sodexo

needs to hear the message that workers are angry

around the world.”

Danny Glover urged workers to continue the Sodexo

fight. "Real change is possible but it's going to take us marching and speaking the truth,” he said. “We're

going to speak truth to power. Those are our marching orders.”

As people arrived at Sodexo’s headquarters, protestors marched chanting tirelessly, “clean up Sodexo,” and

took on the task literally in a giant foam pit where activists had some fun scrubbing and mopping participants

identified as Sodexo executives.

Then things took a more serious turn as a dozen brave activists

stepped beyond the police tape and linked arms—taking a stand for

workers who have been silenced and suppressed at every turn by

Sodexo. One by one, police led them away, but they stood strong

raising arms overhead showing their strength.

Today was not an end, but a beginning. We came to Sodexo’s U.S.

Headquarters and we will go wherever we need to bring our

message of justice. Demonstrating the global commitment and

strength, the crowd dispersed chanting in French, “Tous ensemble,

tous ensemble! Oui! Oui!”

International Visitors Meet with SEIU Leaders, Sodexo Workers, Danny Glover As their final day in the U.S. as part of the two-country delegation of Sodexo workers and unionists from Great Britain and France, our global guests gathered with Sodexo workers from Emory University, Loyola University, George Mason University in preparation for this afternoon's culminating action at Sodexo's U.S. headquarters. The group was joined by Andy Stern, SEIU president; Mitch Ackerman and Bruce Raynor, Executive Vice Presidents of SEIU; along with actor Danny Glover in a debrief of their experiences and next steps to take when they return home. "Whether we speak French, Spanish, English or any other language, we're all in the same boat," said Danny Glover. "While we are here in unity to protest, we are also here to celebrate our new alliances." "We are happy that our presence here has given courage to workers on site. We will continue the effort back in France and support the workers from there," vowed Silvie Emmanuele Beccari of the CFDT in France. "We are convinced that the salary and benefits of Sodexo workers should not be different in different countries." "We see a lot of very young people involved in this country--more so than what we see in France!" she said. Jean-Michel Dupire of the union CGT told the group, "We are happy that we've been able to contribute, even in a small way to the successes of this week. It's really reassuring to see the mobilization of workers here. "They say workers in France are agitated. But I think the American workers are agitated too!" he said. "I think that given the globalizing effect of capital, and the way that markets are today, and multinational campaigns, we really have to work together," Dupire added. "We cannot think of just one country."

Bob Oram of the U.K. union Unison told the group, "It's been an incredible honor to meet actual workers who have undertaken these actions. Every one of them has been so courageous and brave in what they're doing." Andy Stern, in one of his final acts as president of SEIU, will participate in civil disobedience this afternoon, along with workers, students, staff and leaders, at the headquarters of Sodexo in Gaithersburg, Md. Andy reiterated the importance of this campaign as a global campaign. "The future of this union movement will be determined by this campaign and others like it," he said. "This campaign raises the question whether global corporations will rule the world or workers of the world will unite." "There are workers in India, Africa, and Australia whose lives will be affected by what we do here, even though they may have no idea yet."

Standing for Justice Andy Stern The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-stern/standing-for-justice_b_540406.html Thirty-eight years ago, I joined the Service Employees International Union hoping to make a real difference in the lives of people who work. I've had an incredible run, and I think the thing I will miss most is having the chance to watch ordinary workers do extraordinary things as they find their voice and use it to speak out for what's right. I have stood with janitors in the streets of Los Angeles, Miami, Houston and other great cities across this nation. I watched Verdia Daniels, a home care worker making poverty wages, spend 10 years organizing 74,000 others to birth a movement now 400,000 workers strong. I cheered as child care workers, through our union, fought and won for standards that help children of low-income families get a brighter start; as public sector workers used their ingenuity to improve the services we rely on each day in our cities and towns; as other low-wage workers prevailed against all the odds to transform their work into jobs that offer family health care benefits, pay decent wages, and enable parents to send their kids to college. I've been telling people for as long as I can remember that there is a time to learn, a time to lead, and a time to leave. After 14 years leading SEIU, now 2.2 million members strong, as its president, it is my time to leave. After wrapping up a few loose ends, I will be retiring within the month. As one of my last acts as president, I will be standing with some workers today who embody the choices our country needs to make if we are going to fix our economy and rebuild the middle class. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, today, I will stand with Sodexo workers from around the world, actor/activist Danny Glover, community leaders and others to stop outsourcing giant Sodexo from leading the race to the bottom. Sodexo, one of the largest employers in the world, made more than a billion dollars profit in 2009, yet pays its workers in the United States as little as $7.50 an hour and does not offer affordable health care options for two-thirds of its non-managerial employees in the US. At the same time it boasts about the jobs it offers, Sodexo has been cited 16 times recently for the company's campaign of interrogation, surveillance, and even firing of Sodexo workers trying to raise their families out of poverty by forming a union.

• Workers like Brad Deeter, an army veteran and a father of 2. He is an electrician by training but when good jobs in the state began to dry up, he took a job with Sodexo to make ends meet. Despite working more than 40 hours a week, he had to move his family out of their home last month because they could no longer afford it.

• Workers like Paul Williams, spent most of his career working in his father's restaurant. When his family lost their business, Paul had to take a job with Sodexo to keep from losing his home as well. Now he struggles to support himself on $9.75 an hour. He would walk away, but his son has leukemia and depends on the money Paul brings home to survive.

• Workers like Marcia Snell, who's been at Ohio State University working for Sodexo for more than 10 years. She helps support her children and grandchildren, but despite working between 40 and 60 hours a week, she only brings home about $14,000 a year and can't afford health care.

My presence at Sodexo is not a coincidence. This campaign opens the next chapter of labor history.

This isn't just an American issue; it's a global issue. Over the past few decades, capital went global, finance went global, trade went global, and our employers went global as well. It is inconceivable given the multi-national reach of companies like Sodexo that unions can be just local or national and succeed in a global economy. This global campaign sheds light on two trends that threaten the future of rewarding work and supporting workers worldwide -- outsourcing and the global race to the bottom. The future of labor will be written in this campaign and others. And while I am here to today to end my chapter of my personal labor history, we are together beginning the writing of the next chapter. Unless we stand with and for people who work, these giant companies, the big bad banks and the global financial industry will continue to roll over us all in an endless quest for profit. I may be leaving the stage - maybe even in handcuffs today - but this issue isn't going away. I spent my whole life trying to change people's life at work. That work will continue, both by me and a new generation of leaders and on a national and global scale. And one thing I know is that today, the Sodexo workers' fight for dignity on the job and wages that can help support a family is at the core of what justice is all about. You should stand with them too.

Summary_of_First_Week_4-17-10

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