First Clark Unite! Solidarity Action

You may have seen people wearing purple shirts in the cafeteria last Friday, January 29th, during lunch. This was an action organized by Clark Unite!, a new Clark community group composed of Clark students, faculty, and staff committed to organizing around issues of social and economic justice. This action was held in direct response to intimidation of workers who prepare and serve food at the Higgins Café, The Bistro, and Jazzman’s Café and Bakery.

Workers are organizing for union recognition from their employer, Sodexo. Sodexo management has gone 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 many workers who have served this community for years still lack the wages and benefits necessary to meet their and their families’ most basic needs.

As a display of support for the food service workers’ right to organize in the Clark community, Clark Unite! walked into the cafeteria to eat and deliver our concerns about worker’s intimidation to Sodexo management. Clark Unite! expressed concerns verbally to the manager, but he refused to take our detailed letter. In this letter we made demands including the right to organize, that workers not be harassed or intimidated in the process, that Sodexo respect any method of unionization, and that there will be no negative consequences for workers exercising their rights, among others.

We also presented a letter to Clark administration expressing our concerns with Sodexo and expectations from Clark. This letter demanded that Clark University 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, should go towards supporting anti-union activities. We also proposed a Labor Code of Conduct for them to adopt. We have done this so that we are in honest communication with the Clark administration as we continue to work together to make the Clark community stronger.

Clark Unite! became active in this campaign through the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the union which is leading a national campaign to organize Sodexo workers. As Clark Unite!, we work to promote equal access to dignified employment, worker’s right to organize, and the fair distribution of resources. If you are interested in becoming involved email us at clarkunite@gmail.com and stay tuned for future actions. Check us out on Facebook or at clark-unite.blogspot.com