SEIU Local 200U

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Colgate University

Let the Workers Unite! College Dems Support Sodexho Employees.

College Democrats President Liz Pavle shared her recent letter to The Colgate Maroon-News with Local 200United:

The College Democrats of Colgate University passed a resolution this past week voicing their support for the efforts of food service employees on campus to form a union. The workers, employed by Sodexho, an international, publicly traded company with over 100,000 employees across the US and Canada, have been moving towards holding a vote on whether or not to unionize.

The employees of Sodexho have not had an easy time in their attempts to unionize; management called a meeting earlier this year to show the employees an anti-union film intended to discourage their efforts. The workers are also somewhat disheartened by the stinging memory of the last effort of this kind by food service workers at Colgate, when the union movement was defeated by a single vote following a similar campaign by management to discourage these efforts.

The College Democrats' resolution not only supports the efforts of Sodexho employees, but it also expresses disapproval of the anti-union efforts of Sodexho management. On Monday, the College Democrats also requested of George Murray, General Manager of Sodexho at Colgate, that students be given a chance to view for themselves the anti-union film shown to the employees.

Mr. Murray denied this request, stating that the film is proprietary of Sodexho, and is not for public viewing. He also maintains that, contrary to the claims of several employees who viewed the film, the film was not anti-union, and that the impression held by many Sodexho employees that they have been intimidated is entirely unfounded.

The resolution was introduced by senior David Yellin, and was immediately met with strong support from the other members of the College Democrats. "It is our job as College Democrats to stand up for what is right, not just in politics, but on our own campus. These employees have been having a really difficult time organizing, and it's important that we give them the clear message that we support them, and that they are not standing alone in facing pressure and intimidation from above. I hope that our support sends a clear message to the management of Sodexho that it is unacceptable for them to interefere with the rights of workers to organize and make a free and fair decision on whether to form a union, and that the students will not stand for it," Yellin said.

The text of the resolution is included here. For further information, the College Democrats of Colgate University can be contacted through their president, Liz Pavle, at epavle@mail.colgate.edu.

Liz Pavle '06
President, College Democrats