Article

SA gives students a vote in Sodexho union debate

The latest SA resolution asks for student feedback in a referendum.
Gail Hoffer - Staff Writer

Should Sodexho employees have the right to organize?

With the overwhelming support of the Student Assembly, this question will be posed to the student body on Referendum Slate Day.

The referendum resulted from a resolution introduced to the assembly Oct. 16 by Off Campus College Rep. Becky Green.

Green emphasized that the resolution did not call for a referendum which would ask students if Sodexho employees on campus should form a union.

“Students cannot force Sodexho employees to form a union . . .[However] we should have a say in what’s going on,” Green said.

SA President Paul Harrison was among the sponsors of the “Right To Organize Referendum” resolution. Harrison explained that if the resolution called for students to decide whether they think workers should unionize he would not have supported it. He further explained that he supports the resolution because it asks students if they think Sodexho employees should have the right to organize rather than if the employees should organize.

Harrison, like other supporters of the resolution, considers the Sodexho employees’ right to organize relevant to BU students.

“If a Union were to form for Sodexho workers, it could directly affect the student body . . . It would have been wrong if our voices weren’t heard.”

Hillside Rep. Matt Pecorino was among the few SA members who did not support the resolution. Pecorino said students who work for Sodexho should not be caught up in union issues because it is not in their best interest. He also argued that the Sodexho employees’ right to organize is not something students should interfere with.

“[The Students] should support things that have a direct benefit to the student body,”Pecorino said.

“Referendum Slate Day” is generally an opportunity for students to vote on a variety of student issues, which are put up as referenda by the SA. Slate Day allows the SA to get student input on several issues at once, including the SA Executive Board elections, rather than having them vote seperately on each one throughout the year.

The Political Action Coalition will be holding a forum about unionization as promised by the resolution in order for students to make an informed decision. Members of the PAC support unionization through the card-check neutrality, also known as a “Right To Organize Agreement”, because it puts a union in place without the employer harassment which often is involved in regular union elections.

According to a pamphlet from the Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), “A Right To Organize Agreement . . . is a private agreement between an employer and a union that lays out a peaceful process for labor/management relations”. If a majority of employees sign union cards, the employer will recognize the union and agree to remain neutral. PAC further explained that the employer agrees not to intimidate the workers and in turn, the workers agree not to protest against the employer through methods such as boycotting or picketing.

HERE said that throughout the process of holding a secret ballot election, “employers can run an extended scare campaign and create a workplace environment in which employees are afraid to talk about the union.”

Leslie Aun, Vice President of Public Relations for Sodexho, said the card check neutrality method puts employees into a tough position. The cards are not signed in secret so workers may feel pressured into supporting a union. She added that the secret ballot election is “a fair and equitable way to make a decision.”

PAC said Sodexho is among those employers who use methods such as anti-union videos to discourage employees from voting for a union. With a Right To Organize Agreement, “there is a good chance workers will choose to form a union.” According to PAC, this will create a better working environment and benefit students as well.

The Sodexho company firmly supports the secret ballot process of voting for a union.

“We feel strongly about the employees’ right to vote with a secret ballot,” said Paul Kerns, general manager of Sodexho Campus Services.

According to Aun, the issue of unionization is not up to the students.

“The decision rests solely in the hearts and minds of the employees.”