Aramark, the dining services provider set to replace Sodexho this summer, has not yet indicated whether it plans to maintain current staffing, raising concerns among employees and students.
Current employees have expressed confusion and concern over their job security and say they have heard only rumors regarding the issue, but no official word from Aramark.
Dave Furhman, director of Dining Services, said, "Aramark is committed to consider everyone on our campus for positions. They have not determined what those positions will be. ... I don't think they've gotten to the employee piece yet."
Officials at Aramark declined to comment, instead deferring to Furhman.
The current workers are members of Unite HERE (Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees), a union representing those in the food, hotel and textile industries. Unions of this type do not have a "hiring call," meaning that if employees lose their jobs there is no guarantee that they will continue to be employed through the union.
"The workers have a lot at stake here," Alyson Harkins, union organizer, said.
"It's up to each company that bids on the contract what they want to do or how they are going to handle the change. ... No one really knows how many people are going to stay ... except Aramark," Pat Brooks, resident district manager for Sodexho, said.
Members of the Student Labor Action Committee (SLAC) have begun to get involved in the issue. Junior Victor Crentsil said that they plan on getting in touch with Furhman and hope to be involved in the employees' contract negotiation process.
"We just want to know what the contract involves in terms of the turnover from Sodexho to Aramark, if that includes compensating the current workers adequately as well as the wage policy for higher if that is a reasonable compensation. We're just making sure that this new company follows through on the University's agreement to pay living wage for all employees here at Hopkins," he said.
"We want to take an active role in the contract process. We have not ironed out all the details, we realize that some of these areas are out of our bounds but we want to do as much as we can," Crentsil added.
In the fall, when the renovated Terrace Court and Charles Commons dining halls open, the method of food preparation will change, which has raised concerns about the qualifications of the current employees. Currently meals are cooked in the kitchen, stored until mealtimes and then reheated. Under Aramark, meals will be prepared on a made-to-order basis.
"Many of our employees have front-line cooking training, all have been through all three levels of customer relations training and many have been through our culinary foundations training, which is a 12-tiered cooking 101 type of class," Brooks said.
Harkins noted that employees have told her they are dedicated to their jobs and are willing to go through any necessary training. "There are people working there that have made a career out of working at Hopkins. They don't want to leave but they want to do better," she said.
However, employees like Dolores Parker, a cashier in the Depot who has worked at Hopkins for 16 years, say they have heard many rumors but no definite decision about whether Aramark will employ them.
"We don't know anything yet," Parker said.
"You hear things like your salary will be cut, they're bringing in their own people, it scares me and I hope there will be a place for me," she added.
Wolman hall server Sharrine Bowen has worked there for five years and also worries she may soon be unemployed. "I'm afraid I might lose my job because they say they can get rid of us. I'm going to start looking for a job," she said.
Other workers are less concerned, such as eight-year server Priscilla Jasmine. "What happens, happens is all; we just have to wait and see," she said.
Students have had mixed reactions to the possibility of employees leaving. Junior Neil Shenai said, "The [Sodexho worker] union rewarded loyalty to Sodexho not performance. Customer service was categorically abysmal precisely because of Sodexho's own inertia. Those workers who cannot get a job with Aramark do not have the skills necessary to serve the hopkins student body and should thus not be rewarded a new job. This is the natural give and take of a market economy."
Sophomore Amil Allen disagreed, expressing concern that employees she has developed relations with may not be around in September. "Personally, I feel it's horrible. They're always talking about trying to make Hopkins more of a community and the workers in the Dining Halls are part of that. If they got rid of Ms. Delores, I'd cry," she said.
In response to these concerns, Brooks pointed out that his employees are good workers, something that hopefully will not go unnoticed in the application process: "There are a lot of good employees here and I think Aramark will realize that quickly."
"Aramark is a good company that will work with these people, I'm sure," he added.
Furhman echoed Brooks' sentiment, saying, "I can understand why folks would be anxious, but when people are doing an awesome job, they don't have a whole lot to worry about. ... every one needs to take a deep breath and continue to do a great job."
