Sodexo Workers Call for Government Investigation into Illegal Firings, Spying By Corporate Giant Sodexo

WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sodexo, one of the largest food service companies in the United States and the 22nd largest corporation in the world, has illegally fired, spied on, and interrogated workers who want to form a union according to charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A broad coalition of students, professors, workers and community activists have called on the NLRB to investigate the firings as well as a spate of other potential federal labor law violations by food service provider Sodexo. Sodexo workers are looking to form a union with SEIU.

Sodexo cafeteria workers at universities, schools and hospitals across the country began a campaign last fall to form a union in order to raise standards for themselves and their co-workers. Many Sodexo workers earn as little as $8.27 an hour and do not have access to affordable, quality healthcare through their employer. Even those workers who make a little bit more per hour still hover at or below the poverty line. Some workers struggle to survive on incomes of $17,000 or less -- far below the government's poverty guideline for a family of four of $22,050.  

"My co-workers are scared of management finding out that we are interested in forming a union and that they will lose their jobs," Genevieve Repsher, a Sodexo employee at Lafayette College, says. "I will always speak up. Now, I know we need a union to improve our jobs and our lives and I'm going to organize and stand up for our rights."

According to charges filed with the NLRB, in the past few weeks Sodexo has:

Louisiana

• Sodexo fired five-year employee Terry Shelly, a cashier in the student cafeteria at Loyola University in New Orleans, for supporting efforts to form a union, according to SEIU. Students at Loyola have rallied to her cause. You can view a video of their delegation to Sodexo management at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NggTIZclbbA.

Pennsylvania

• Sodexo spied on and threatened workers at Lehigh Valley Hospital and interrogated employees at Lafayette College who sought to form a union in the Allentown area with SEIU 32BJ according to charges filed with the NLRB.

New Jersey

• At the West Orange School District, a Sodexo supervisor allegedly interrogated workers about union activity, and demanded that workers sign an anti-union petition, telling them that union activity is under surveillance and promising workers benefits in order to dissuade them from supporting union.

Massachusetts

• At Clark University, a Sodexo manager refused to leave a union meeting that took place off campus and disciplined a worker for union support, according to charges filed with the NLRB.

In addition to the charges above, Sodexo fired Lyonel Dieujuste, a cook at Ramapo College in New Jersey, a short time after he spoke up for his co-workers rights on the job. You can learn more about his story by going to www.cleanupsodexo.org.

SOURCE Service Employees International Union