Statement of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on Ruling By Court on RICO Lawsuit

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United States Federal Judge Claude M. Hilton ruled today that a civil lawsuit brought by Sodexo against the Service Employees International Union can continue forward. In response, the Service Employees International Union released the following statement:

"The Court's ruling today does not speak at all to the merits of Sodexo's baseless claims. The ruling means that SEIU will have an opportunity to prove the facts about our organization, our members, and our work regarding Sodexo.

"For more than two years, Sodexo workers have been seeking nothing more than the opportunity to form a union without fear of intimidation or retaliation from Sodexo. By continuing with this lawsuit, Sodexo is attempting to send a chilling message to all who would speak out against abuses from the company—that they'd better stand down or face expensive litigation. It will not work, and we will not be silenced. The freedoms of speech and association, including the freedom to speak out against big corporations is fundamental to our democracy, and worth defending.

"The lawsuit is part of a much grander and larger assault on the rights of workers to bargain collectively with their employers. Increasingly, we operate in a world where multinational companies want to act unfettered by checks on their conduct and are willing fight hard to maintain that status.

"We look forward to proving what this campaign is really about and defending our freedom to speak out against abuses by corporate entities. And we continue to hope that Sodexo will engage in constructive dialogue with SEIU and our partner unions around the world so that we can work together toward a process that provides Sodexo workers the ability to form a union in the easiest legal way possible in their home countries."

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

SOURCE Service Employees International Union