Rally Kicks Off National Effort to Force Aramark To Improve Treatment Of Workers And Communities where Company Conducts

Philadelphia- More than 1,000 Aramark workers and their supporters who provide food and cleaning services at facilities across the country came together in Center City with public school parents, clergy and elected officials to call on Philadelphia-based Aramark to improve its treatment of workers and customers at Aramark facilities. 
 
Around the country Aramark workers and people who rely on Aramark services in public schools, hospitals, prisons and corporate cafeterias have come together around the belief that Aramark's business practices not only harm workers but shortchange customers by cutting corners on quality and promising savings that the company can't deliver.
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The rally in Philadelphia kicks off a week of action aimed at Aramark coordinated by the Campaign for Quality Services - a joint initiative of the Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE, two unions that represent more than 25,000 Aramark workers who prepare and serve food, clean buildings and provide laundry services in cities and towns across the country.  
 
Based in Philadelphia, Aramark earned $11.6 billion in revenue last year and paid its CEO $16.2 million, yet its business practices are costing taxpayers millions. At the same time, Aramark workers across the nation struggle to make ends meet at dead-end, low-wage jobs with no path toward health insurance.
 
Carrying signs that called Aramark a "recipe for disaster,"Aramark workers and their supporters marched down Market Street to Aramark's headquarters, where they attempted to present an oversized check representing what Aramark should reimburse Philadelphia's school system.  In September 2007, the Philadelphia School District terminated its contract with Aramark after company-managed cafeterias had estimated losses of almost $7 million over two years. 
 
Robin Savage, a Cook Manager in the Philadelphia School District, hailed the unique alliance between cafeteria workers and Philadelphia parents.  "Too often, workers and communities both end up paying the price for Aramark's shoddy business practices.  Whether it's poverty pay and no healthcare jobs or its failing public school children in Philadelphia, Aramark needs to do better,"she said.
 
Alice Monroe, a cleaner at Aramark tower agreed, "The kinds of problems we're seeing here in Philadelphia with Aramark are happening all around the country.  That's why thousands of workers in ten cities across the country are standing up to Aramark this week by holding events in their cities as part of a national week of action.  We are sending a message to Aramark, starting right here in their hometown, that they need to do better for the workers and the communities they do business with,"said Monroe. 
 
In addition to today's rally at Aramark headquarters, Aramark workers and their supporters this week are educating consumers about Aramark's business practices at Aramark concession locations throughout the country:
 
 In Houston five hundred Aramark workers and their supporters kicked off a campaign to end poverty wages for more than 1,000 Aramark workers who clean and prepare and serve food at major facilities throughout Houston with a rally and march on Saturday at Houston's Tranquility Park;

 In New York City, Aramark workers are on strike -  protesting low wages and disrespect on the job at Aramark run corporate cafeterias in the city; New York City workers are joining hundreds of other Aramark workers for today's march to the company's Philadelphia headquarters;

 In New Jersey, Aramark workers and their supporters will protest working conditions that make it difficult to provide the kind of services they want to provide to kids, as well as low wages and lack of affordable healthcare at school districts around the state; New Jersey workers are also participating in today's march in Philadelphia.

 In New Haven, CT, parents and Aramark cafeteria workers will call on the New Haven School board to insist that Aramark come clean about its management of cafeterias in the New Haven schools. 

 In Hartford, students and cafeteria workers employed by Aramark at the University of Hartford will deliver a petition today to the university's president calling on the university to insist on a code of conduct for Aramark workers.  Also on Tuesday, Aramark workers at Electric Boat in Groton and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy will call on these Aramark clients to insist that Aramark improve its standards for workers and clients.  On Wednesday Aramark workers who provide food service at some of Hartford's largest corporate cafeterias will urge companies that use Aramark to sign a code of conduct and commit to insisting on a living wage and health care for Aramark employees.

 In Orange County California, 300 Aramark workers at the Honda Center will rally on Tuesday night for a living wage at Aramark's concession stands before the Mighty Ducks take the ice;

 At the Los Angeles Convention Center on Wednesday morning, several hundred Aramark workers who operate concessions at the center and their supporters will hold a rally during the convention's biggest annual event, the LA Autoshow;

 In Portland, OR Aramark workers who operate concessions at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts will join with supporters on November 17th to rally for a living wage and respect on the job; 

 In the Chicago Loop, hundreds of Aramark workers will demonstrate against poverty wages and lack of affordable healthcare at Aramark corporate cafeterias and universities;

 In the Chicago suburbs, hundreds of school cafeteria workers and janitors employed by Aramark will come together to demand an end to poverty wages, lack of health insurance and dignity on the job -- and call on Aramark to provide quality services to Illinois schools and their employees; workers and supporters will also conduct outreach to members of a national organization of school boards.

 In Pennsylvania, Aramark workers and students will leaflet on college campuses.  
 
"The race to the bottom in contracted service work in America has got to stop,"said Lynne Fox, Manager of UNITE HERE Philadelphia Joint Board, the union that represents Philadelphia School District cafeteria workers.  "With Aramark it's undermining quality and shortchanging taxpayers.  And where Aramark workers don't have a union, all too often they get poverty wages and no health insurance.  That's not the kind of future we want for America,"said Fox.
 
For more information, visit www.FactsOnAramark.info/.

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