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The Campaign Along with Aramark dining hall workers and Teamsters Local 743, SOUL is pushing Aramark to enter into an agreement with the CIW. The involvement of the union and the rank-and-file, in addition to students, draws upon the power and strength of the AWSA coalition formed during the spring of 2008. On May 6th, students and workers delivered a letter signed by SOUL, MEChA, and Teamsters 743 to campus management. The letter outlined the demands of the Student/Farmworker Alliance and the CIW calling for Aramark to recognize its responsibility to the workers who pick the tomatoes they use. Management agreed to contact national Aramark with out concerns. Not surprisingly, campus management also explained that Aramark did not deal with the pickers directly, and so were unable to account for their pay and treatment. We will not let Aramark hind behind such a flimsy excuse. On May 22nd, SOUL received a response letter from Robert Dennill, Associate Vice President of Aramark, infromed SOUL that Aramark had recently met with representatives of the SFA and the CIW to hear their concerns. As a result of this meeting, Aramark sent a letter to the growers expressing their concerns about the situation of tomato pickers in Immokalee. Although this is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Mr. Dennill also reiterated the tired and unacceptable excuse that, because they do not contract directly with the growers, they have little power to change policy. We know this is untrue and will continue to work with the SFA and the CIW until Aramark lives up to its promise to "conduct business with the utmost integrity." Stayed tuned to see what happens next! |
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