THE
HUMAN SIDE OF FOOD SERVICE
Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 902 have followed with some interest the recent discussion and articles within the Athenaeum related to the change in food service contracts from Sodexho to Chartwells/Compass Group.
Unfortunately, it seems that the human side of the issue -- the plight of the existing unionized food service workers at Acadia -- has been lost in the public discussion to date.
On November 1st, all of Acadia’s food service employees received layoff notices effective December 21st. With great uncertainty as to the status of their jobs in the new year, these workers were obviously shaken at the prospect of having lost their longstanding employment in the days before Christmas.
The union which represents the majority of Acadia’s food service staff, SEIU Local 902, immediately wrote to Chartwells/Compass Group on November 1st, asking the new food service provider for Acadia to re-hire all existing staff at their current wage and benefit levels, and to recognize their existing service and seniority. We have also asked Chartwells to voluntarily recognize the union which these workers came together and formed over three years ago.
For more than three decades, these workers have served and fed the students, faculty and staff of Acadia University, as well as several generations of Alumni. Many of the current food service employees have individually given over twenty years of service to the University. Some have given more than half of their lives to Acadia.
Although SEIU Local 902 has initiated discussions with Chartwells/Compass Group, including providing assistance to their company in scheduling interviews with existing staff, we have not as of this date received assurances that workers will be re-hired with their existing wages, benefits, and seniority/service intact.
Despite the fact that all prior food service providers at Acadia from 1968 until the present date have recognized the service of existing employees when assuming the contract for Acadia’s food provision, workers are now concerned that they (if re-hired) will lose many of the benefits that they have accrued over the years: medical benefits, years of sick time accumulation, vacation benefits based on their years of service, etc.
Food service workers at Acadia are extremely pleased by recent votes of solidarity and support by members of the Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) and the clerical/administrative workers at Acadia (who are also represented by SEIU Local 902). However, the union is frankly dismayed at the apparent lack of interest in the issue by Acadia University’s President, Dr. Gottlieb, who has still not replied directly to the union’s request to her for a meeting, despite weeks of telephone messages and correspondence dating back to November 1st.
Certainly these long-serving, hard-working and dedicated members of Acadia’s community, who have collectively provided almost one thousand years of service to Acadia, are deserving of ten minutes of the University President’s attention.
Although a full month has now passed since the University awarded the food service contract to Chartwells/Compass Group, workers on the campus are still in limbo – awaiting word as to the status of their jobs in January.
It would, of course, be a grave unjustice to these workers to see any reduction in their existing wages or benefits after decades of dedicated service to Acadia. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will continue its fight to ensure that these workers are not put back on probation yet again.
Our union very much hopes for a positive working relationship with Chartwells/Compass. However it is essential that Chartwells formally recognize these longstanding employees and the decades of work that they have provided to Acadia. We insist that all existing benefits (including vacation leave benefits which are based on years of service) and wages remain intact, and that existing workers are re-hired on the basis of seniority.
Tony Tracy
National Organizer
Service Employees International Union –
SEIU Canada
Office: 1-800-563-1095 / Cell: 902-233-1713
Email: tracyt@seiu.ca