More than 40 activists, including students, faculty and staff, turned out last night to discuss plans for a rally in light of upcoming Sodexo labor negotiations.

Group members, who identify themselves as part of the Sodexo Workers Justice Coalition, held a meeting in the Graduate Student Union lounge and debated over the most effective way to spread their message.

After an hour of back-and-forth dialogue, attendees — which included eight full-time Sodexo workers — decided on a rally to be held Wednesday, starting at the fountain on campus at 12:30 p.m., followed by a march to the New University Union.

Sodexo, Inc. is the food-service provider on campus, and according to its Web site, the company received $7.3 billion in annual revenue last year.

The contract for full-time and part-time Sodexo workers at Binghamton University, excluding students, clerical workers and management staff, expired in August. Negotiations, which involve one member of the Sodexo Labor Relations Team, a union representative from UniteHERE (Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees) local 471, the general manager at BU and a seven workers, have been delayed and are scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Paul Kerns, Sodexo’s general manager for campus, said he couldn’t comment on the terms of the new contract, but workers told Pipe Dream that negotiators are calling for employees to pay 25 percent of their health insurance, which was covered in full in the previous contract.

Under the prior terms, which have been extended until a new contract is drafted, workers make between $7.15 and $9.50 an hour, Kerns said.

The Coalition came up with four main points to promote during the rally, from the continuation of “employer-paid, full-time health care benefits,” to a fair wage that’s annually adjusted to meet the cost of living and demands for a secure and dependable retirement plan.

“A living wage is a big thing because when you live pay check to pay check, it sucks,” one worker, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said.

A fourth point was added to the list of items the group plans to state in their arguments during the demonstration. The last detail calls for Sodexo workers to be able to exercise their first amendment right to freedom of speech without fear of reprisal. Workers said the previous contract upheld a clause which prevented them from speaking with the media.

Stephen Cormier, a member of the coalition and a BU student, said that the goal of the rally is to increase knowledge and awareness, which will in turn increase pressure on the company.

“We have a responsibility, a need to fight on their behalf and fight with them for justice,” he added.

The group also assigned individuals to dining halls for Tuesday night to collect additional signatures of a petition, drafted last month by members of the Binghamton Political Initiative. The document, which lists grievances similar to the ones discussed in the meeting, had garnered almost 1,500 signatures at press time.

A group of four individuals representing the larger movement delivered petitions with roughly 1,200 signatures to Kern’s office Monday.

The individuals, along with the rest of organizers, were steadfast when it came to plans beyond Wednesday’s rally.

“If things don’t go well for the workers, we’re going to step things up,” Ben Elliot, another student present at the meeting, said. “Further action will take place depending on the outcome of the negotiations.”