Employees deserve better treatment

Last semester, Hopkins switched the company it contracts to operate on campus undergraduate dining facilities. The old provider, Aramark, was replaced by Bon Appétit, but because the employees at these facilities are unionized and contracted with Hopkins directly, they are mostly the same workers who used to work for Aramark. Bon Appétit prides itself on its fresh food, and so far student reviews of the new dining options have been mostly positive. Unfortunately, the employees who work at these facilities are not so pleased. Multiple anonymous sources have come forward to The News-Letter reporting sizable lay-offs, slashed paychecks resulting from unpredictable hours reductions, overworked employees, mismanagement of guaranteed off-days, rude and inconsiderate treatment of subordinates, uncomfortable working conditions, explicit contract violations, inefficient refusal to specialize labor, angry and unprofessional employee interactions and unfairly delayed compensation.

The Editorial Board finds the treatment documented by these anonymous sources to be completely unacceptable and urges the University to ameliorate whatever problems are driving the complaints. In fairness, it is important to hear out both sides before rushing to conclusions: We caution against the immediate castigation of Robert Lavoie or anyone else at Bon Appétit until their side of the story is heard. But with that said, Lavoie was offered an opportunity to defend himself by The News-Letter and declined.

The moral reasons for treating our fellow human beings with respect, dignity, sympathy and fairness are self-evident, but Hopkins students should care about what is going on in the FFC work environment, even for selfish motives. Happier workers means faster service, cleaner tables, better organization and tastier food. Little details like the yogurts being labeled correctly or how long the line for omelettes gets in the morning, are impacted by managements decisions of how many workers to employ, how to treat them and how many hours they work. And apart from the food, happiness itself is just contagious; anyone lucky enough to know Gladys, the woman who works the swipe-in desk most days at the FFC, knows how quickly a sincere smile and hearty greeting can brighten your day.

Because the disgruntled employees have yet to file an official complaint, University officials cannot be fairly blamed for what has happened so far. Now that these allegations have arisen, however, the University has an obligation to investigate, not only as an employer watching out for its employees, but also as a university looking out for its city. Many Bon Appétit workers are local Baltimore residents whose impression of the way Hopkins and its affiliates conduct their business will help shape the University’s image and perception in the city — for better or for worse. How we treat our employees says a lot about us as a community, and thus, the workers’ stated frustration with new ownership is a serious cause for concern.