Sodexo workers held a demonstration Friday at noon, alleging that J Street managers have violated their union contract by cutting hours and staff.
In the past two months, Sodexo, the company that provides GW's dining services, has cut workers’ hours from 40 hours a week to 30 and laid off about 10 employees since December, several workers said.
All Sodexo employees, as well as dozens of students, donned buttons displaying their support for Sodexo workers and the union’s rights.
Sam Nelson, a member of GW’s Progressive Student Union, helped organize the protest to raise awareness among students.
“We need to consider Sodexo workers part of the GW community, like professors and faculty,” Nelson said.
Allison Burket, an organizer with UNITE HERE, the union that represents Sodexo employees at GW, said while venues at the eateries have changed, many workers have been there for upward of 20 years.
“The relationship is strained,” she said.
Burket and UNITE HERE declined to provide a copy of the union contract, which was last fixed in 2011. The next negotiation is set for 2014.
J Street general manager Bernadette Thomas said Sodexo is “following the process outlined in the [collective bargaining] agreement” agreed upon in 2011. She added that recent staffing changes still allowed workers with scaled back hours to receive health insurance.
“The changes that were recently implemented fall within the guidelines of that 2011 contract,” Thomas said.
She declined to comment when asked why workers’ hours were cut.
Sodexo employee Rochelle Kelly said workers sometimes serve up to 50 students at a time due to the layoffs, and that managers have also screamed at workers and discouraged them from talking to students.
“What they’re taking us through is just emotional, stressful and is a problem with everybody,” she said.
Former Sodexo employee Rosita McCollum said she was fired last week after 12 years as a server, and many employees say the recent layoffs make the working environment uncomfortable.
A cook for Metro Diner, Therrece Brown, said she is worried about her future with Sodexo and whether management will keep her around.
Sodexo employees across the city, from school cafeterias, to hospitals and government buildings, are organizing a city-wide rally at the African American Civil War Memorial Feb. 28.
So the union is saying that Sodexho is violating the terms of the contract, but it refuses to release a copy of that contract?
And who was serving the students lunch while the staff was whining and “protesting”?
Fire them all. The problem is with the staff too. A few years back when I was at GW, I found them to be low class and rude, and occasionally engaging in racial conversation, referring to me as “white boy”.
The workers were, since they didn’t leave their posts.
And would say one personal experience a few years ago about a passing comment of “white boy” that may or may not have been directed at you isn’t justification for treating the workers like subhumans.
The dining hall could be excellent if Sodexo let the workers and students run it together.
Thank you, PSU, for organizing this protest. I am glad that your relationship with the Sodexo workers is strengthening.
I do not understand the disconnect in students’ thinking. They hate Sodexo and complain about how they are managing their food options yet there is nooooo waaaaay that they could mismanage their employees.
Additionally, how many people do students know who have managed to stay in food service for over a decade? It is a draining job and I think the J Street employees deserve respect.
Trying to salvage the employee-employer relationship at J Street is like trying to clean a burning building. It’s wasted effort, and energy should be directed at restructuring the entire dining system.
What a mess. Get rid of j st, turn it into student space.
Bad/unproductive employees need to be fired. And people wonder why it takes Metro Diner 30 minutes to get me chicken tenders…
I LOVE the Auntie Anne employees. They have it going right. They are very friendly, don’t enter my order half-way rolling their eyes, and are extremely fast, partly because I always see them preparing and making sure the eatery is ready.
The J Street employees need an education in traditional, proper Southern etiquette, raised right like I was.
They should address the students as “sir” and “ma’am” and respond in a pleasant manner with “right away, sir” when you place your order, and “thank you, sir.” as you pay.
You have the nerve to say that the J Street workers, many of whom are African American and other people of color, should have been “raised right” like a “proper” Southerners? Do you even realize how racist that is?
You’re despicable.
Why do you judge me on MY upbringing? Is that not bigoted?
It’s simple economics. These workers are already being paid a lot more than they are worth; you pay them more or don’t cut back hours when no one eats at J Street, how do you make up for the extra money? You raise prices. Then more people go to Whole Foods or any of the other choices on campus, and then you have even fewer people eating there. Just get rid of Sodexo, rent the space out to restaurants or anyone who wants to serve food. They bring in their own employees, and if they aren’t up to par in food quality or service, they shut down. Let the free market work here!
And, Sam Nelson, perhaps you can explain the difference between “professors and faculty” when you say “We need to consider Sodexo workers part of the GW community, like professors and faculty”
The reason they are cutting the hours from 40 to 30 is the same reason that many other companies are cutting employee hours, Obamacare. These employees would be covered under Obamacare and receive health care benefits if they were full-time. Since they are now only technically part-time, Sodexo doesn’t have to give them anything. Combination of Sodexo being a horrible company, and the future problems that Obamacare will bring.
Dear J Street Employees:
Aren’t you glad you voted for Obama?
Stop taking your actual frustrations with J street as a whole on all the employees. There are some who suck and some that don’t. Put the unproductive ones through training and if they still are not operating at company standards, let them go. As for the entitled brat who wants to be addressed as “sir”…the employees aren’t your servants. Perhaps YOU should get a few lessons in politeness (hint: you get what you give). And to the other entitled brat who thinks j street employees are “low class”…how much class do you actually have by saying that?? Truly despicable.
Funny how people complain about J Street in other Hatchet articles– complain about the food and service– but then they go and complain about Union workers being let go who are cooking that same food and providing that same service. Irony?