University’s food service workers want to set table for unionization

About two dozen food service employees at Clarion University stood in unison during a protest Tuesday afternoon in support of an effort to unionize the employees. Community members and students joined them. During the rally they chanted pro-union slogans. (By Randy Bartley)

Clarion University’s food service employees’ desire for unionization prompted them to stage a rally on the steps of the Eagle Commons Dining Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

“We are here to support a union for food service workers coming into Clarion University,” said Jamie Smith, a Chartwells food service employee at the university. “We are doing this for job security, to be treated fairly, and for better wages.”

A university representative said a new food service company, Aramark, will replace Chartwells as the university’s current provider. The contract was awarded through a bidding process. Aramark has been advertising locally for food service workers to be employed by the company at the university.

According to Aramark’s website, the company is an American “food service, facilities, and uniform services provider to clients in fields including education, healthcare, business, corrections, and leisure.”

“We have not even had our interviews (with Aramark),” Smith said. “We don’t even know if we have jobs yet.”

Smith said she has worked at the university for 19 years.

“It hasn’t been all bad, but it has gotten worse over the past 10 years,” she said.

Wages are a concern to the employees.

“From what I hear, we are the lowest-paid food service workers in the PASSHE (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) system,” Smith said. “We are paid less because we aren’t union.”

“We pay our full insurance and others, who are in the union, get a discount. We have no idea if we are even going to have health insurance. It is so uncertain.”

Smith said Chartwells last day on campus will be May 31.

“We are here today to help these workers win their union,” said Ben Bennett, the organizing director for Pennsylvania Joint Board of Workers United.

Bennett said 95% of the workers have signed cards stating they want union representation.

“The workers are the union. We are their support staff,” he said. “We are here today to say to Aramark to voluntarily recognize the union because there is overwhelming support from the workers.”

Bennett said there are two ways to form a union – through a National Labor Relations Board election or through voluntary recognition.

He said in a situation in which the majority of workers support the union, the employer will often choose voluntary recognition.

Bennett said Aramark has voluntarily recognized the union at other universities in the nation and in Pennsylvania.

According to Bennett, Aramark operates at East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, and Kutztown universities.

“We have a good relationship with Aramark on a lot of campuses,” he said. “We hope to have that here.”

Bennett said Aramark has been asked to respond by May 18. There are 43 food service employees at Clarion University.

“If we have to have a union election, we will have it and win it,” he said.