Last Thursday evening, a group of approximately 50 students from the five colleges and six Aramark workers marched to the doorstep of President Peter Stanley’s home on the corner of Fourth Street and College Avenue. The group was attempting to deliver a letter which had been drafted by workers seeking the endorsement of the Council of Presidents for a Non-Intimidation/Neutrality Agreement with Aramark.

The Council of Presidents, chaired by Stanley, had previously refused an audience to the Worker Support Committee (WSC) during one of its meetings in Alexander. Since that time, Stanley has met with members of the WSC and discussed Aramark and the Non-Intimidation/Neutrality agreement with them.

Throughout this semester the WSC has been gathering student support and awareness for the right of Aramark workers to unionize, and now believes the involvement of college presidents and student governments is necessary to achieve their goals.

"We’re trying to get the presidents to do something, and get some recognition of workers’ rights on campus," explained Joaquin Calderon PI ’99, shouting over the voices of about 150 candle-carrying students and workers, chanting WSC slogans: "Worker recognition, support the petition," or "A people united will never be divided!"

The presidents, however, maintain that involvement is not prudent.

"I am bound by law to maintain neutrality with regard to this entire issue in my role as President of Pitzer College and as one of the parties in a Claremont Colleges contract with Aramark. I cannot enter directly into an investigation of the workers’ wishes or into an investigation of the quality of particular unions," stated Pitzer President Marilyn Massey in a message sent Tuesday.

"While it isn’t illegal [for the presidents to force Aramark to sign the Non-Intimidation/Neutrality Agreement], it creates a legal vulnerability," explained Stanley in an interview Monday. He explained that the presidents had received advice from legal council to not interfere in the unionization process of Aramark workers.

Before arriving at Stanley’s campus residence the group stopped at Scripps President Nancy Bekavac’s house, where WSC members pounded on the front doors in an attempt to deliver a copy of the workers’ letter. After getting no response, the group fastened it to the door at eye level using duct-tape.

En route to Massey’s house on Harvard Avenue, the WSC protestors were informed by Campus Security that they would not be allowed to leave college property. A single officer in a golf cart pursued the group, but then broke off without confrontation at Ninth Street and College Avenue.

At Massey’s house, like Bekavac’s, no lights could be seen. After shouting slogans the group placed the letter on the doorstep, and started their marching down Seventh Street towards Pomona’s campus.

According to Stanley, Campus Security informed him of the marchers earlier in the evening. Stanley told them that he and his family were going to bed and asked that Campus Security stay outside his house in an effort to allow his family to get some sleep.

At 9:55pm the group, now smaller in size, was met at Stanley’s by four Campus Security officers posted on the porch, walkway, and behind the house. The group was informed by a campus security Officer that they would not be allowed to place the letter on Stanley’s door, nor would the officers place it there for them.

Unable to deliver the letter, students began chanting or shouting at Stanley to take the letter. A consensus formed that the protesters would sit on the sidewalk until they were allowed to deliver the letter.

To pass the time, workers and students took turns explaining to passersby what the purpose of this spontaneous sit-in was; some even conversed with the officers, who remained stoically at their posts. At one point, a student called Stanley’s house on her cell phone and left a message, a tactic she repeated multiple times. Stanley reported " getting messages recorded after midnight asking [him] to come down and receive the letter."

Due to fatigue and necessity, most of the students and all of the workers left as it got closer to midnight; however, a small group remained until 8am. At this point, the protesters, now inside sleeping bags after a night spent on the sidewalk, were informed by Campus Security that the officer could place the letter on Stanley’s porch.

"I consider this an eye-opener," said Calderon, who is the point man for the WSC at Pitzer. He added that "students have heard what’s going on, but most hadn’t seen a march of this size." By delivering the letter, the WSC feels they were successful in alerting Stanley to the importance of their cause.

Stanley replied to the students in a memorandum last Friday. In it, he reiterated that "I share the desire that all workers on our campus be fairly treated, no matter who their actual employer is."

However, Stanley also expressed that some of the WSC’s actions were not helpful towards establishing a positive exchange of ideas.

"Some of last night’s activities, which included aggressive, abusive, and obscene language that had to be endured in the early hours of the morning by my family, go beyond the bounds of respectful and civil communication," stated Stanley.

"There was nothing offensive [Stanley or his] family endured that night," claimed the WSC in a letter to Stanley Tuesday. They explained their actions as being "far quieter than a normal group of students on a weekend."

"This is the first time the President’s house has been a place of demonstration," during his time here explained Stanley. Though he stated he did not want to discourage students from coming to him if they needed help, he also explained that he would prefer if students came to him during his normal office hours. He also expressed that his main concern was with the disturbance to his family.

Calderon points out that it is the efforts of the workers which is the motivation behind such protests. "I see the workers as in charge of everything. They are the ones who make the final decisions. We help in any way we can. We do the dirty work like typing and posting fliers. It’s especially important because we are students and can’t be intimidated [by Aramark]."

"We work directly with union representatives, who have a strong background in labor law," added Pomona WSC leader Maria Garcia ’01. Garcia says she is in constant phone contact with the Local 11 Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE), which will become Aramark workers’ union if workers vote to support it by the card check system which the Non-Intimidation/Neutrality agreement would require.

"While legal, this process short circuits the normal elections process…supervised by federal authorities under the National Labor Relations Act," stated Massey. "I cannot in good conscience ask Aramark to agree to a card check certification process with a particular union. I believe it is morally wrong for me–or anyone else–to make those determinations for [the dining hall workers]."

Many WSC members have said that it is a common misconception that the WSC is a student organization that bears little relation to the desires of the workers. Calderon says that a core group of about twenty workers meet every Friday to discuss their efforts to unionize, separate from the weekly WSC meetings.

"Our ultimate goal is to see these workers unionized," said Calderon. Under the card check system, only 51 percent of Aramark workers would have to agree to a specific union.

According to Stanley, this is "much less democratic" than the standard National Labor Relations Board method which would guarantee an election and would guarantee free exchange of information. "It’s not clear a card check agreement is the right thing."

"Within the group of workers there are some that are happy and some that are not," conceded Pomona WSC member Danilo Trisi ’02. Calderon emphasizes that if the WSC were to disappear, the workers are strong enough to continue the effort themselves. The workers, however, are not in consensus.

A chef at Frary said, "I love my job. I’ve been working here ten years, two right here at Frary, and I haven’t ever had any problems." Asked whether he felt intimidated by his employers, he answered, "If I ever have any problems, I just go talk to the man. I just know how to talk to people, and they’re good people."

Next to him stood a younger man, a line cook by the name of Jorge. "Yeah, I don’t know what the problem is. It’s a good job. I’ve done things I should probably have been fired for, and I’m still here," said Jorge. "And if I want to move to a different dining hall, that’s no problem [with the management]."

A break-in occurred last Friday evening at Frary that has disturbed the relations between the WSC and Aramark. During the incident a note was left on the desk of Executive Chef Ali Gonzales’ desk that read: "Aramark managers can be gotten to, anytime, anyplace! Listen to us!" According to Frary employees, Gonzales is a respected and popular manager.

Managers at Aramark have blamed the WSC, and Commissioner of Residence Halls and Food Brian Andrews ’01 has said that it is unlikely the two groups will be able to work together for quite some time. Calderon and the WSC deny any participation.

"We are very careful in everything we do. If it was a student and a member of the WSC, then that person wasn’t carrying out a collectively agreed upon plan. It just hurts our efforts to sit down with Aramark, and that’s the last thing we want," said Calderon of the threatening letter.

"For all I know, it’s Aramark that did this," he added, explaining that this would give the food-service company an excuse to discredit the WSC and its efforts. Calderon also says that the WSC has five groups at the separate colleges, all of which are somewhat independent. He could not say what courses of action those groups might take.

For Alumni Weekend, the WSC announced on Wednesday that they are planning a demonstration on Saturday which would be visible to the Alumni and would educate them about the situation with Aramark.

"We thought it was time to take drastic action," said Trisi. The students plan to continue the strike until the presidents respond to the Non-Intimidation/Neutrality Agreement.