Photo by Ben Mirus Students set up stands last week around campus about the Worker Support Committe fast.

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After receiving a letter from the Council of Presidents and putting an end to their six day fast, members of the Worker Support Committee (WSC) have entered the next phase of their campaign to help unionize Aramark employees. On Tuesday, they started a card-check program, trying get more than 50 percent of Aramark employees to sign cards that would send a message to the Council of Presidents voicing their support of a union.

The new efforts are part of an ongoing campaign highlighted by last week’s fast by eight members of the WSC. They fasted all last week to raise awareness about the plight of the workers and to show the presidents that they were serious about reaching their goals. The fast ended on Sunday because, according to WSC member and faster Amy Wood ’00, "We thought that, considering there were only two weeks left in the semester, we should focus our energies on other methods."

In addition, the WSC received a letter from the Council of Presidents that said that the workers did have the right to organize if they wanted to. The letter said that the Presidents wanted to "reaffirm that we have required Aramark to abide by labor laws that protect worker’s rights to complain about cuts, to discuss grievances and, should the workers so desire, to organize through a union. We have informed Aramark that we insist upon its conducting its provision of services in a manner that respects the rights of the employees and assures them the full protections accorded employees under the law."

The WSC determined that prolonging the fast would not help them any more in reaching their goals than they already had done. After receiving this letter, the WSC released a flier announcing that they were breaking the fast. "Although the presidents have not formally supported the neutrality agreement, we will hold them to their word and expect no Aramark intimidation of workers in any form during the upcoming drive," said the flier.

"The Presidents can’t do anymore than what they have already done. They cannot endorse a certain union agency over another. The Presidents couldn’t bend either way," said Residence Halls and Food Commissioner Brian Andrews ’01.

While Pitzer President Marilyn Massey and Pomona College President Peter Stanley have expressed concern over the Rights of Aramark workers, the council of presidents still maintains that it cannot endorse a union one way or the other. "We consider [the letter] a reaffirmation of what we said earlier," said Stanley.

"Pitzer and I also strongly support the rights of dining hall workers to self determination and to a safe, secure working environment," said Massey, "The college has repeatdly made clear to Aramark that it expects it to abide by all state and local labor laws."

"[The fast] gave a lot of workers the strength to come out," said WSC member Michael Flynn ’02. "They were frightened before, but knowing that they have so many people behind them, a lot of them have come forward."

Student members of the committee and representatives from Local 11, the union behind them, met with workers who had already joined the group last week to discuss the possibilities of the card-check agreement and to distribute cards for them to get their co-workers to sign.

The card-check method is a commonly used method to forming unions as an alternative to the election method. The election method requires the company, in this case Aramark, to hold an election during work hours. Both methods are recognized by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The card-check method allows workers to voice their support or opposition to a union on a card, which are then read by a neutral third party. The card-check would end once they received approvals from more than 50 percent of the workers.

"If 50 percent plus one of the cards are signed, then [that will mean that] the workers have spoken and they want a union at this point," commented Flynn. "It would be something the presidents would have to pay attention to, and something Aramark can’t ignore."

The students set up "justice monitors" behind dining halls all week to provide a place for workers to come learn more about unionization. It also provided the workers with a place to voice complaints about any intimidation that they experienced from the managers in regards to the distribution of the cards. "President Stanley said that he wanted to be notified immediately of any intimidation that occurs. We are here to document it if it happens," said Flynn.

Once the WSC gets over 50 percent of the employees to approve the formation of a union through local 11’s card check, they will take it to the Council of Presidents and request that they force Aramark to allow the workers to unionize. The WSC thinks that a majority of employees approving the card-check should be enough to convince the presidents with the card-check agreements, "It’s not like, ‘will you recognize [a majority of workers having signed the cards],’ it’s like ‘you are going to recognize this.’ And if they don’t, we protest."