Aramark employees fear loss of jobs

Aramark employees have been coming to work sick out of fear for their jobs, according to several workers, including one who was fired earlier this semester.

Aramark, the company that provides Hopkins' dining facilities, has been partnered with the University since July 1, 2006.

For about three years, almost the entire time Aramark has been at Hopkins, Edward Harris worked for the company. That changed on Oct. 29 of this year, after he was out of work for two days with an arm injury.

"The doctor excused me for two days from work," he said. "But when I came back they already had the idea to fire me."

Harris said that the official reason his position with Aramark was terminated was tardiness, but that when he arrived his first day back after his injury security was already waiting and his supervisor had already written his last check.

"They actually had security escort me off-campus," he said.

Harris complained to Unite Here! 7, the local branch of the union for workers in the hospitality, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, laundry and airport services.

However, he said he never heard back from them and decided to hire his own lawyer. His goal is to overturn what he considers his wrongful termination and receive backpay for the time since he lost his job.

According to Tina Turner, a current Aramark employee, part of the reason Harris has not gotten a response from the union is that they are in the midst of a transition from a bigger regional union back to the local Unite Here! branch.

Unite Here! local seven president Gladys Burrell confirmed that the union was in the midst of a transition period. However, she also stated that the three employees to have been fired this semester were "terminated because of tardiness," rather than as a result of missing work.

Turner disagreed. "A lot of employees were recently terminated because of illness," she said. "They tell you you're still responsible for your work...even if [the employee] did have a doctor's note."

She said even when news about the H1N1 flu virus was gaining national attention, workers were told they still had to come to work.

"Sometimes they couldn't do their job, but if they didn't come in they'd get suspended or worse comes to worse terminated," she said.

Another Aramark employee who preferred not to be named agreed with Turner's assessment. "Even on the news they say, if you're sick stay home," the employee said. "But here they seem to think it doesn't matter what the situation is, work should come first."

This employee also stated that they had not heard anything from the union for several weeks.

Burrel stated that the union's contract with Aramark expires January 31, meaning it is up for renegotiation. However, she said that they have not yet held a meeting to discuss potential changes.

"We haven't written down proposals yet," she said.

That meeting will be scheduled for sometime in the next week or two. She acknowledged that the shift to the local branch of the Unite Here! union has been slow because of all the legal paperwork.

Turner also expressed concern with Aramark's healthcare policy. Only full-time employees get the company's health benefits, which include dental, eye and primary health care. To be considered full-time, an employee has to work at least thirty hours a week.

According to the anonymous employee, schedules and shifts are frequently written so that they are twenty-five hours a week. Turner added that Aramark recently hired a number of new employees, but most of them were part-time.

Harris stated that although he did want to prove his employment had been wrongfully terminated, he was not sure he would ever want to return to work with Aramark.

"I want to get my wrongful termination overturned and get my backpay, then decide if I go back," he said.

Students seemed to be concerned with the possibility of sick employees coming to work, for multiple reasons.

"They're in the food service, and that is a definite problem for reducing swine flu infections," sophomore Claire Snodgrass said. "I mean, they tell us not to come in to the dining places when we're sick."

Junior Aaron Jones agreed, and added that "I don't think anyone should lose their job because they're sick."

Senior Kevin Rhie called it a "double standard," referring to the fact that sick students are not supposed to go in public places.

"I don't really know what Aramark's policies are, but I would say it's a bad situation because they'll get everyone sick."