Sodexo disputes continue at Pitt

The disputes between Sodexo and its employees at Pitt are not over.

Sodexo, an…

The disputes between Sodexo and its employees at Pitt are not over.

Sodexo, an international corporation that operates dining services on Pitt’s campus, and the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ have been in conflict over two different issues. The first is a set of stalled contract negotiations for about 200 workers on Pitt’s campus represented by the union. The second is a set of allegations of unfair labor practices by Sodexo that the SEIU filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Service Employees International Union is an organization that represents more than 2 million employees in North America. SEIU Local 32BJ represents more than 5,000 workers in Western Pennsylvania, according to its website.

Since March, Pitt’s stance, related by spokesman John Fedele, has been one of noninvolvement.

“It’s an issue between Sodexo and the union,” Fedele said of the disputes.

Other universities around the country have experienced similar disagreements between Sodexo and its employees. This year SEIU members have staged protests against Sodexo at George Mason University in Washington, D.C., and Ohio State University.

The SEIU launched a website, cleanupsodexo.org, that details a series of allegations on various college campuses.

A series of labor disputes at the University of California Davis campus in 2007 resulted in the university hiring the Sodexo employees, with the corporation continuing to run dining services.

Stalled Negotiations

Negotiations with Sodexo for a new contract began in mid-February, about six weeks before an extension on the last contract ended, said Sodexo spokeswoman Monica Zimmer.

The unionized workers have been working without a contract since the end of March, and Regional Director Gabe Morgan said that the workers have continued to work under the terms of the old contract.

The SEIU workers at Pitt have assured jobs in the fall, Morgan said, but the negotiations may still take months.

Morgan said that all communication with Sodexo and the union now goes through a third party federal mediator. These mediators are employed by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an agency that helps conduct negotiations between employees and management, according to the agency’s website.

SEIU spokesman Matt Painter said that the next round of negotiations, with the federal mediator present, will take place on May 19.

Sodexo’s most recent offer to the union included a 90 cent pay raise over the next three years, an increase in medical coverage and lowered insurance premiums during the school year.

Under Sodexo’s offered contract, Painter said new employees would be required to pay 30 percent of their health coverage, instead of the 10 percent new employees are now required to pay.

Painter said that the goal of the negotiations would be to get a “fair wage” for workers and affordable health care coverage.

Zimmer said that Sodexo would try and reach an agreement that would be “fair to all parties.”

The union voted to strike after negotiations failed in April, the first time SEIU workers on Pitt’s campus have gone on strike since 1970.

Protesting employees formed a line on Forbes Avenue outside of Litchfield Towers on April 26 — the first day of Pitt’s finals week. The strike ended April 28 when the union and Sodexo agreed to return to negotiations after protesters blocked Forbes Avenue for almost 10 minutes.

Labor investigation

In mid-March, members of SEIU and nonunionized workers alleged unfair practices by Sodexo’s management that tried to prevent employees from joining a union. More than 100 Sodexo employees at Pitt are not represented by a union.

Students formed a new advocacy group, Students in Solidarity, with Sodexo workers that tried to advocate on the workers behalf. Students tabled in Towers lobby about Sodexo’s alleged unfair labor practices and participated a protest in Market Central with SEIU members.

The union then went on to file a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency that investigates allegations of unfair labor practices and holds elections to determine if workers want to form a union.

The complaint, filed on March 24, alleges coercive statements and interrogation by Sodexo management, trying to discourage its employees from joining a union.

NLRB Regional Director Robert Chester said that investigations into unfair labor practices usually take about six weeks. The investigation will be complete by the middle of May, Chester said.

The result of the investigation can range from a dismissed case or an out-of-court settlement to a trial. Chester said that less than 5 percent of cases go to trial. The majority of cases will either be settled out of court or the NLRB will drop the allegations.

Zimmer said that SEIU has filed multiple complaints against Sodexo in the past. She said Sodexo was aware of 14 complaints out of 6,000 sites Sodexo manages, and that none resulted in charges or out-of-court settlements.