Stir It Up Mini-Conference: Bringing Justice to Campus Food Service!

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 14:40

 

DePaul University, Chicago
Saturday November 7, 12-5 pm
 
As this blog demonstrates, students and workers all over are fighting to ensure campus food service reflects their values -- from students standing up with campus food service workers and their union, Unite Here, to students organizing with the Student/Farmworker Alliance Dine With Dignity campaign to others demanding fair trade or sustainability on campus.  
 
On Saturday, November 7, join students from across the Chicago area to learn more about what others are doing and how we can all fight for change.  

At the mini-conference, you'll:

  • Hear from campus food service workers about what it is like to work in the industry and what it's like to be part of a union fighting to change it.
  • Hear from other students campaigning to bring justice to their campus food service.
  • Learn about Unite Here and the Student/Farmworker Alliance.
  • Learn skills to help you make a difference!
The conference will take place at DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus from 12-5pm on Saturday, November 7.  To register for the conference, go to stiritupcampaign.org/chicago.  You can also download a flyer to help spread the word to your friends.
 

Hope to see you there!

 

Meet Pamela Barrientos

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 13:57

Greetings.  Today I just wanted to share a quick video of Pamela Barrientos, a DePaul student who came out to witness and support the Unite Here Local 1 civil disobedience we wrote about back in September. In the video, she explains why she came to the action.

 

Look for more from Pamela and other DePaul students and workers on Stir It Up over the coming year!

 

 

Student Farmworker Alliance Week of Action!!!

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 19:45


This week is SFA week of action.  One of Unite Here's great allies in the quest to bring justice to the food industry is the Student Farmworker Alliance.  If you've come across this page I probably don't have to tell you about all the great things SFA/CIW has done and continues to do.  But I'll tell you anyway (umm, with a link).  

SFA has already announced a groundbreaking agreement with Compass, one of the "Big 3" companies in the food service industry.  It's time for Aramark and Sodexo--the remainder of the 'Big 3'--to follow suit.  Please go to the below SLAP website and tell these two companies to do the right thing:

SEND AN EMAIL!!!!!

NY Daily News Covers Hunter College Struggle

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 15:46

 

Here at Stir It Up, we have been closely involved with workers at Hunter College who are fighting for healthcare and a fair contract.  Today, the New York Daily News covered the issue and the rally we had announced here last week.  Check out the article!
 
 

 

Failure to Exercise Due Care

Submitted by Luis Brennan on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 17:54

 [Stir It Up Editor’s Note: This article excerpt is written by University of Chicago student Luis Brennan and was originally published at the Chicago Weekly, an independent publication at the University of Chicago.]

 
At 4pm on Thursday, September 24, I was arrested and charged with a “failure to exercise due care.” I was not alone, and this wasn’t some prank gone awry. Over two hundred people took over a large section of Chicago Avenue in front of the Park Hyatt hotel, with some seven hundred more standing witness on the sidewalk. Since August 31, around six thousand hospitality employees have been working without a contract. Even in these tough economic times, they gathered with their union UNITE HERE Local 1 and many community allies to make a statement: We’re here, and we’re not afraid (as signs pinned to our back said quite explicitly).
 
 

[Stir It Up has one correction to the article as it appears on the Chicago Weekly site: contrary to its implication, the hotel companies in Chicago are not seeking wage concessions.]

 

 

AVI Foodsystems: 'Welcome to New York'

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 10/02/2009 - 12:42
 

“Welcome to New York, AVI. This is what it is…pension….health insurance!”
                                                 -Lisa Cooper, Food Service Worker at Hunter College, 24 years
 
 
This coming Monday (October 5th) outside Hunter West at 68th and Lexington, at 3:00pm, the Hunter College community is giving AVI its unofficial welcome to the school. Students, faculty and workers are coming out to protest AVI’s refusal to give the Hunter College cafeteria workers the health benefits and pension that they received last year.
 
Just this year, AVI made a serious move into the New York market of higher education food service—taking over the food service contracts at both Hunter College and Sarah Lawrence College.  The problem is, based on its early behavior, AVI doesn’t realize that in New York, established job standards for food service workers are to be respected, not undercut. 
 
At Hunter College, after AVI refused to assume the workers’ contract, which included free family health insurance, a pension and reasonable annual raises, the workers—some of whom have been working at Hunter College for decades—organized a work stoppage (watch a powerful video of the footage here) and demanded that the company maintain their health benefits and pension. 
 
Unfortunately, this action was not enough, as AVI continued to refuse to assume the terms of the previous collective bargaining agreement. Fortunately, the Hunter College community has lined up in support of the workers in this struggle; and the fight is far from over. 
 
In addition to regular lunchtime leaflet drops all over the cafeteria, and a petition drive that has so far resulted in hundreds of student signatures, last week the Hunter College Chapter of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC)—the CUNY system faculty union—passed a resolution expressing its support for the Hunter College cafeteria workers. Tami Gold, the PSC Hunter College Chapter President wrote to her colleagues: “On September 24, 2009 the Hunter Chapter of the PSC unanimously voted to endorse the Monday, Oct 5 rally in support of the Cafeteria workers, who are represented by UNITE HERE Local 100, in their fight for decent wages, pensions and health benefits.”  The momentum is building!
 
Meanwhile at Sarah Lawrence, AVI, having just taken over the food service contract this year, has so far refused to grant the cafeteria workers a fair process for forming a union. This Wednesday, over ten workers and five students did a surprise delegation of an AVI manager, demanding that the company agree to a fair process for recognizing a union if a majority  want one. We’ll have more on this delegation, including a video of the action, early next week.
 
Sarah Lawrence workers and students are going be at the rally at Hunter College this Monday, to join in sending AVI this message: If you do business at our university, you better do right by our cafeteria workers!     
 
If you live in the New York area, join us at the rally!
 
Date: Monday, October 5th 2009
Time: 3:00 PM
 Location: Outside Hunter College West at 68th and Lexington 
 

 

Student-Farmworker Alliance and Unite Here Call to Campus Activists

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 11:00

 

       
 
Attention Campus Activists!
 
The Student Farmworker Alliance (SFA) and UNITE HERE are taking their campaigns for worker justice to colleges all over the country this school-year.   Collectively, these two organizations will be fighting in solidarity with workers at both ends of the food industry: the farmworkers who pick the produce in the fields and the cafeteria workers who cook and service it at college campuses.  We are looking to join with activists like you to demand that both students and workers have greater voice in the decisions universities, colleges and corporations make about the food we eat each day.
 

SFA

 
Student-Farmworker Alliance (SFA) is a national network of students and youth organizing in partnership with farmworkers to eliminate sweatshop conditions and modern-day slavery in the fields. SFA works most closely with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a community based organization of agricultural workers based in Florida.  Together with farmworkers, SFA has fought for, and won, responsible purchasing policies from food industry giants such as Burger King, Taco Bell and most recently Compass Group, a major provider of campus food service. 
 
Now, SFA is putting pressure on the largest contracted food service companies in the world, such as Aramark and Sodexo, to agree to policies that ensure that farmworkers in Florida can work under dignified conditions and receive decent wages for their labor.  Check out the Dine with Dignity campaign to find out how you can get involved! There is a week of action coming up Oct 5-9.
 

UNITE HERE

 
UNITE HERE is the country’s leading labor union for university food service workers.  It represents workers at universities around the country such as Yale University, the University of Southern California and Saint John’s University.
 
This fall UNITE HERE is stepping up its campaign to raise standards for university food service workers.  Stir It Up, a website devoted to student involvement in campus food service, will be chronicling students’ efforts to support, and to raise consciousness about, campus food service workers.  Stir It Up will also follow SFA campaigns as they unfold.
 

Join us!

 
SFA and UNITE HERE are looking forward to working with students across the country to win these campaigns. Please monitor our websites, Dine with Dignity and Stir It Up, for regular updates and join our groups or become our friends on Facebook (SFA, Stir It Up).  Contact Ian Mikusko (UNITE HERE) at imikusko [at] unitehere.org and Marc Rodrigues (SFA) marc [at] sfalliance.org for more information.
 
In solidarity,
 
UNITE HERE

Student-Farmworker Alliance

 

Students Join Mass Civil Disobedience in Chicago

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 12:15

 

On Thursday, September 24, nearly 200 members and allies of Unite Here Local 1 in Chicago took arrest as part of a mass civil disobedience action. The participants sat in the street and locked arms to send a clear message to corporations like the food service contractors on our campuses: We are not afraid to continue the fight to improve our lives. 
 
The arrestees included students from DePaul University, Roosevelt University, University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, while students from a variety of schools rallied to show solidarity. DePaul in particular turned out en masse – over 20 students from the school came to witness and support the action, which also involved food service workers from DePaul.
 

Look for a few more perspectives about the action here on Stir It Up over the coming days, but in the meantime, here are some more photos from the rally.

Nearly 200 take part in civil disobedience...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

including DePaul food service worker Quiendolyn Wilkens...

as DePaul students rally in support.

 

 

 

Breaking News: CIW Victory!!!

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 21:26

Editors Note:  Great victory for CIW in Dine with Dignity campaign.  Pics are from my experience at the Encuentro earlier this month.  Press release, in-full:
 
Compass Group and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) Announce Sweeping Changes to Benefit Tomato Harvesters


Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis Recognizes Agreement for Fair Wages and Safeguards in Florida Fields



WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 25, 2009) — Compass Group North America and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) are proud to announce a partnership that will improve the working conditions of agricultural workers who harvest fresh tomatoes grown in Florida. The Immokalee region is the heart of the Florida tomato industry which provides 95% of all U.S. grown tomatoes eaten by Americans from October to June.

As part of the agreement, Compass Group will pay an additional 1.5 cents per pound for all the tomatoes they purchase annually, with one cent per pound being passed from the supplier directly to the harvesters. The agreed upon ‘Code of Conduct’ is designed to improve working conditions and give harvesters opportunity to advance beyond the field.

In part, the agreement will ensure:

  • Workers will receive an immediate raise based on the penny-per-pound, with the ultimate goal of a guaranteed minimum fair wage
  • Workers will be paid for every hour worked, with a system of clocking in/out to accurately record working hours
  • Workers will have the ability to voice their concerns over safety and working conditions, and report Code violations, without fear of retribution
  • Suppliers will allow education of workers as to their rights on company time and within the worksite by the CIW
  • Suppliers will permit third party auditing for full transparency
    •  
Compass Group will only purchase tomatoes from those growers and suppliers willing to meet the standards set out in the Code of Conduct and pass the raise on to their workers. 

In addition, Compass will assist the CIW with initiating a conversation with growers to resolve the ongoing issues with the working conditions on the tomato farms. The success of that initiative has already borne fruit with the recent announcement from East Coast Growers that they will meet the conditions in Compass Group’s Code of Conduct.

“Once we learned about the situation in Immokalee, we couldn’t stand by idly. Working with our purchasing department, we expect this code of conduct will improve the working conditions and create change within the industry,” explained Cheryl Queen, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Compass Group North America.

Compass Group manages over 10,000 accounts in the United States – from schools to corporate offices, from hospitals to cultural centers. Compass’ agreement and the supplier code of conduct will apply to all its operating companies including Eurest Dining Services, Restaurant Associates, FLIK International, Canteen Vending Services, Chartwells, Levy Restaurants, Morrison Management Specialists, and Wolfgang Puck Catering. Compass Group is the parent company of Bon Appétit Management Company, who also signed an agreement with the CIW in April 2009.

“Compass Group purchases a lot of tomatoes. It is our intent that this agreement brings immediate financial benefit to the harvesters, gives our suppliers the opportunity to partner with us to change the way the industry does business, and provides a platform to educate our customers on the plight of agricultural workers in Florida,” summarized Steve Sweeney, president and CEO of Chartwells, an operating company of Compass Group specializing in the education marketplace.

"The future of Florida agriculture is contained within this agreement today," said Lucas Benitez of the CIW. "It is a future founded on mutual respect and mutual benefit, a future of common purpose among farmworkers, growers, retail food leaders, and consumers. In short, it is a future of social responsibility. We look forward to working with East Coast, Compass, and the other companies that have signed Fair Food agreements to develop the rules and rigorous monitoring systems necessary to make that future a reality this coming season."

"For social responsibility to truly take hold in Florida, growers like East Coast who embrace more humane labor standards must be rewarded by the market," added Gerardo Reyes of the CIW. "With a strategy for social responsibility and the support of companies like Compass, East Coast -- and the workers whose labor is its lifeblood -- will not only survive, but will thrive well into the 21st century."

About Compass Group North America
Based in Charlotte NC, Compass Group North America is the leading foodservice and support services company with $9 billion in revenues in 2008. With 388,000 associates worldwide, its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC had revenues of ?11 billion in the year to September 30, 2008. www.cgnad.com
Contact: Sarah Hada, Compass Group North America, 704-328-1365, sarah.hada@compass-usa.com

About the CIW
The CIW (www.ciw-online.org) is a community-based farmworker organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida, with over 4,000 members. The CIW seeks modern working conditions for farmworkers and promotes their fair treatment in accordance with national and international labor standards. Among its accomplishments, the CIW has aided in the prosecution by the Department of Justice of six slavery operations and the liberation of well over 1,000 workers. The CIW uses creative methods to educate consumers about human rights abuses in the U.S. agriculture industry, the need for corporate social responsibility, and how consumers can help workers realize their social change goals. The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food has won unprecedented support for fundamental farm labor reforms from retail food industry leaders, with the goal of enlisting the market power of those companies to demand more humane labor standards from their Florida tomato suppliers.

Contacts: Greg Asbed, CIW, 239-986-2364, greg@ciw-online.org / Julia Perkins, CIW, 239-986-0891, julia@ciw-online.org 

 

DePaul Community Gets Ready for Big Year

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 15:56

Last week, students and union members from DePaul University in Chicago met to begin discussing how to work together over the upcoming year.  Three rank-and-file union leaders who work in food service at DePaul explained their working conditions and desire to fight for improvements.  The students asked questions and discussed ways they could join the effort to bring important changes to their campus.

Over the coming weeks, DePaul students will continue meeting with the food service workers one-on-one and writing pieces about their experiences for Stir It Up.  Stay tuned for the stories, and if you want to get involved, contact us at stiritupcampaign [at] gmail.com.  It should be an exciting year.

 

 

 

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