Support the Carleton Dining Hall Workers

Bon Appetit:





We, the students and alumni of Carleton College, are concerned about the recent actions of Bon Appetit. The transition onto Carletonвs campus has distressed Carletonвs dining staff and created an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty. As you know, the dining staff are tightly intertwined in the Carleton Community; they are our friends and our peers.





As we see it, there are three major problems with the current negotiations.





First, when the contract with Bon Appetit was signed, students, faculty, administrators and staff were under the impression that all current workers would be offered a job. This has not turned out to be the case. Bon Appetit has not offered everyone a job. Furthermore, the dining staff who were offered jobs, have been required to submit to drug tests, credit checks, and background checks. Workers have reason to believe that Bon Appetit is selectively using the results of the drug and background checks in order to break the unionвs 51\% majority. The workers have performed their jobs diligently and caringly under Sodexho. They are part of our local community, and forcing them out along with Sodexho, when they had no reasons to believe their jobs would be in danger, is unjust.





Secondly, the contract being proposed by Bon Appetit drastically cuts benefits. Sick days, vacation time, and bereavement leave are all being offered at much lower levels which is consistent with Bon Appetitвs record at other schools. Many members of the dining staff are further concerned that they will lose the money that they have already paid into the union pension plan under Sodexho. Bon Appetitвs contract has another plan that does not address this concern for many workers. Also, for the first three months of employment, workers will not receive any benefits from Bon Appetit.





Finally, there are concerns that Bon Appetit will try to break apart the union in order to wages and benefits. If less than 51\% of the employees are union members, Bon Appetit does not have to recognize the union, which would put employees in a poor position to bargain. Bon Appetitвs rehiring application includes a stipulation that allows the company to fire workers during their first three months without reason. Workers are worried that the company will use this to force out union members. These fears are well founded given Bon Appetitвs history. Carletonвs neighboring school, St. Olaf, also has a contract with Bon Appetit and their workers are not unionized. Unsurprisingly, the workerвs wages there are roughly two thirds that of the ones at Carleton. Since 2000, Bon Appetit has tried to cut employee benefits at Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and Wesleyan University.





Student and community support for Bon Appetit was contingent on the companyвs commitment to take better care of Carletonвs workers. We do not feel that Bon Appetit is making a good faith effort to honor their agreement or to respond to the concerns of the dining hall staff or the student body.





We would like Bon Appetit to offer every current dining hall employee a job and to honor the current union contract.





Thank you for your time and support,