The Board of Education is probably not interested in correcting its unionized custodians’ punctuation with the required comma for the appositive (“Hey, Aramark!”). The custodians are getting their point across, anyway, with this billboard that faces BOE headquarters across Union Avenue.
In fact, the custodians’ union may already have achieved a victory. But that appears unlikely to stop their campaign.
Following picketing over the last month and public denunciations of Aramark’s inefficiencies and poor working environment, Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County, and Mucnicipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents the custodians, launched a 12-billboard campaign against the Philadelphia-based corporate subcontractor. The BOE has been employing Aramark since 1993 to manage food services, facilities, and, most recently, energy usage throughout the sprawling 50-plus building system.
The custodians’ union — and to a lesser extent cafeteria workers — have alleged hostile work atmospheres, poor menus, inefficiencies like Aramark’s purchasing poor, even dangerous, equipment — such as the bear-proof Dumpsters referred to in the billboard — and putting profits above the diet, safety, and general welfare of New Haven Public School students. (The students themselves spoke out against the quality of the lunches in this story.)
On Tuesday, not long after the billboards hit the streets, the BOE put out a request for proposals (RFP) for the food service management contract. In other words, Aramark is not going to be automatically granted another contract.
Was this a result of the serious displeasures expressed by the union?
Will Clark, the BOE’s chief operating officer, said, in an email message. “This was a board decision. The contracts allow the option to renew for one more year or go out to bid.”
In making the decision not to pursue renewal, he said, the board took a number of issues into consideration including “union concerns.” In addition, he said the BOE thought it was the right time to go out to bid to test the market, as, he indicated, the city is doing in finding better deals for its employees’ medical benefits.
Larry Dorman, a spokesperson for Council 4, responded to the news this way: “While the city is not automatically renewing Aramark’s contract as they have in the past, we’ve got a long way to go in our campaign for quality school services.”
He then called for public hearings to scrutinize the impact of Aramark’s business practices. The union issued what they called a white paper alleging poor bulk purchasing practices on the part of Aramark.
Will Clark said the RFP for food services is already posted on the BOE’s web site (click here ). He saidthe RFP for managing the NHPS facilities would be up on the site and ready for bidding as early as this weekend.
But it’s unlikely that will mollify Council 4. Dorman, who in the union’s previous presentations to the board, has cited Aramark’s recent dismissals from school systems such as Hartford, does not think that an Aramark by another name would smell — or cook or clean — any sweeter.
“Our ultimate goal,” he said in relation both to food services and to facilities, “is to return to a self-operated model that would be more efficient, more transparent and more accountable to the public, especially students and their families.”
Council 4, in partnership with two other unions – Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and UNITE HERE, have created an entity caled “Campaign for Quality Service,” which issued a 14-page report called “Putting Kids First?” on Wednesday. The report calls for public hearings, alleging, among other charges, that rebates and discounts Aramark received for food purchases may have influenced the buying of less nutritious food for New Haven’s kids. Click here for the full report.
Kristine Grow, Aramark’s spokeswoman, said, “the report contains very few fact and by its own admission is largely speculation.” She went on to say that the report and activities of the “Campaign for Quality Service” reflect the general campaigns of SEIU and UNITE/HERE! to organize among workers at services businesses – such as Aramark – for card-check neutrality. “That approach,” she said, “which has no secret ballot, is just fraught with coercion for our employees.”
Stay tuned.