Letter to President Basset

January 29, 2010
President John Bassett
Clark University



Dear President Bassett,

We write to you to address an urgent matter on campus. Workers who prepare and serve food at the Higgins Café, The Bistro, and Jazzman’s Café and Bakery are facing serious intimidation and discrimination as they organize to seek union recognition from their employer, Sodexo, Inc. Sodexo management on campus has been directly intimidating workers, going as far as tricking workers into attending mandatory meetings under false pretenses where managers provided false anti-union information. The management utilizes systematic favoritism and countless workers who have served this community for years still lack the wages necessary to meet their and their families’ most basic needs.

As President, you have the power to require any campus contractor to stop violating the rights of hard working people who make our university run. Clark University has the opportunity to set a moral precedent on this matter and to be a leader in the university community, embodying our motto, “challenge convention, change our world.” We urge you to adopt as policy that: Clark University will require all contractors to recognize any legal method of unionization democratically chosen by workers, including card check or majority sign up. No resources controlled by Clark University, financial or otherwise, will go towards supporting anti-union activities.

As students of Clark University, an institution that prides itself in its community engagement, community activism, and overall moral regard for the well-being and dignity of our fellow human beings, we want our university to uphold the right to organize and collectively bargain for all workers on our campus. This means Clark University’s subcontracted employees must be able to organize and collectively bargain without fear of intimidation, harassment, or discrimination. Union recognition and collective bargaining is the only way for employees to have dignity at work and ensure that they receive the wages and benefits they deserve.

Given the urgency of this matter, we expect to hear a response from you no later then February 5th, 2010. Members of our group are happy to meet to discuss this matter. We have attached an example of the labor policy we wish for Clark University to adopt. You may contact us through our representative Sasha Susman at Campus Box #1986 or via email at ssusman@clarku.edu.


Sincerely,


Clark UNITE!

CC: Clark Board of Trustees, Provost David Angel, and Clark University Graduate and Undergraduate Student Council