In recent months, the Argus has published several articles and editorials concerning Wesleyan’s dining contract. Amidst the discourse of possibly overhauling dining services, the issues of wages and conditions for workers were trivialized and nearly dismissed. Workers are worried about the widespread belief that a unionized dining workforce is putting a burden on Wesleyan students. These claims, however, do not stand up to scrutiny. Furthermore, if the Wesleyan community is serious about being socially responsible, we should make workers’ needs a priority.
Bridgette Stapleton, the Aramark Director of Dining Services, recently told the Argus that inflated prices are due to Aramark employees receiving nearly three times the compensation as set out by the Wesleyan University Employment Code for Service Contractors. While the wages and benefits that unionized workers receive are higher than what is required by the Code, this is a misleading statement because the dining staff is only employed for less than eight months annually. Per year, a dining service worker will make about $18,000 to $25,000, which is about half of one student’s tuition at Wesleyan. Taking into account that there are only 72 dining service workers (many of whom have families they provide for), the total cost of workers’ salaries could not possibly be a substantial stress on students’ budgets. Considering that Aramark is a multi-billion dollar corporation, Wesleyan’s unionized dining service is not causing them any problems either.
In a recent op-ed, the Argus wrote that it understands and respects “the complexity of the service workers union issue”, and then went on to ask, “Why should the student, who is paying for the service, bear the brunt of the conflict as well??”
Apparently, there has been a misunderstanding. Many dining workers have been working here for over a decade and do not plan on going anywhere. Any brunt that students may have to deal with as a result of labor issues is miniscule compared to the effect these disputes have on workers. It would have been irresponsible for the WSA or other student groups to support putting the dining contract up for bid without making workers’ needs a top priority. However, this could have happened if the proposal had not been halted by the resignation of Manny Cunard.
Whenever students complain about the price of dining or tuition, the wages of the unionized workers are called into question. Why is it that we never question the wages of contractor management? Why do we not question the wages of administrators or professors? Student leadership should keep in mind the struggles of low-wage laborers and not support action that would jeopardize their livelihood.
Several dining service workers have told USLAC that they want students to understand the extent of their loyalty to this campus. Vicky, a worker at the Davenport Campus Center recently told us that she holds Wesleyan students in high esteem. “If it’s not there, I’ll get it for you.”
Irene, union steward and Campus Center dining worker, told us that many workers sympathize with students’ grievances and wants to encourage them to take up their complaints with Aramark management. “I love my job,” says Wendy, a dining service worker at Summerfields.
She continues, however, to say that there is a significant financial strain for dining workers who get laid off for our various breaks: winter, spring, summer and Thanksgiving. Raquel, another shop steward and a mother of two, wants to make clear the profundity of dining decisions. “This is our bread and butter,” she states.
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