Claudia Hill, the Summerfields cashier who was fired by Bon Appétit in late October without explanation, has been rehired under similarly unclear conditions.

After her termination, both Mrs. Hill and the UNITE-HERE Local 217 Dining Workers Union raised concerns that the firing was a retaliatory measure aimed at Mrs. Hill’s husband, Jeff Hill. Mr. Hill has worked at the University for 28 years, and as a union steward has been one of Bon Appétit’s most vocal critics.

Mrs. Hill was rehired as the Argus went to print with her story about the firing. Along with her husband and Len Nalencz, the UNITE-HERE Local 217 Dining Workers Union representative, Mrs. Hill interrupted a labor negotiation meeting to ask for an explanation of why she had been fired.

“The three of us walked in and Len asked for an apology, and they let her speak her mind and she asked why they fired her,” Mr. Hill said. “They said they had made a mistake and they wanted to make things right.”

Bon Appétit rehired Mrs. Hill, this time as a Summerfields salad bar attendant.

There has been little explanation offered regarding Mrs. Hill’s termination or rehiring. Bon Appétit officials have maintained that her firing was not a retaliatory measure against her husband.

In a Nov. 15 interview, Bon Appétit Resident District Manager Delmar Crim told the Argus that the firing had nothing to do with Mrs. Hill’s abilities. Instead, he said, the company was seeking to downsize at Summerfields and that the move made practical business sense.

After Mrs. Hill’s rehiring, however, Crim did admit some error, though he declined to discuss any specifics.

“It could have been handled better,” he said. “When it comes to one person’s issue though, I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Mrs. Hill believes her firing had more to do with her husband than managers have let on. Over the summer, Mr. Hill helped organize 68 union workers, who walked to Mr. Crim’s door and demanded to know why their hours and benefits were being cut. Since then, Mr. Hill has been the primary spokesman for the union workers regarding issues with the new dining services.

Mr. Hill and Crim have also clashed over more personal issues. In June, Mr. Hill’s first cook position was eliminated. Mr. Hill also alleges that Bon Appétit stalled in giving him $600 of back pay.

“There were several tiffs between Jeff and management,” Mrs. Hill said.

Mrs. Hill believes that the tension came to a head on Friday, Oct. 26, when she left Crim a phone message detailing how Bon Appetit’s administrative practices had been putting excessive pressure on her husband, which was beginning to affect their life at home. Two days later, Mrs. Hill was fired from Summerfields. The subsequent termination of Mr. Hill’s third floor chef position only confirmed Mrs. Hill’s suspicions that her husband was being sent an unspoken message.

“It’s retaliation towards Jeff,” she said. “They can’t touch him because he’s a 28-year veteran. They can just take me out.”