Support GW Dining Workers!

Help Aramark workers at GW achieve justice! Aramark management has been verbally abusive, unresponsive to unsafe and unhealthy work conditions, negligent in distributing tens of thousands of dollars in back pay and slow to provide mandatory raises.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Dignity & Respect for Aramark Workers!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a member of The George Washington University, and labor communities, I am concerned with the widespread unfair labor practices occurring at the George Washington University dinning facilities. These include widespread pay discrepancies, safety violations, general lack of respect, improper suspensions, firings without just cause, as well as numerous other contract violations by Aramark, contracted by The George Washington University, to supply dining services.

I urge Aramark to negotiate fairly and in good faith with the workers and representatives of the Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Union Local 25. I feel that Aramark has a responsibility to uphold basic worker and human rights.

The George Washington University has the responsibility to hold Aramark accountable for its actions in order to ensure that our dining service employees are afforded the dignity and respect that their work should guarantee. I support the workers as they continue contract negotiations as the bargaining unit of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees (HERE) Local 25.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 20, 2002

Background Information

The Food Service workers at the George Washington University are currently engaged in contract re-negotiations and grievance mediation. Aramark, the contracted foodservice provider at GW, has been flagrantly negligent in settling grievances. At this location alone there are more grievances filed than for all the other 8,000 members represented by the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 25 combined.

The workers are seeking to ensure basic human rights and dignity: the ability to be contacted by their family members in cases of emergency; to work in a safe and healthy environment; to not be verbally abused and dehumanized by their supervisors; to be allowed to change in a private secure location (hallways lined with lockers is an unacceptable and insulting substitute); and to have their pay and benefits secured and delivered.

In addition to fixing existing problems with management, the workers are seeking additional guarantees to ensure that these problems do not persist during their next contract. The vast majority of these workers have been at George Washington University long before Aramark's reign of terror began, and will be there long after Aramark has gone. These workers take pride in providing service to GW students, and maintain a relationship with them, not Aramark.

Aramark has been ruthless in their managing of these employees, attempting to instill compliance through fear and intimidation, rather than through a mutual respect for the workers. Now the workers need your help to win dignity and respect at the workplace.