Food policy reflects badly on Aramark

Ibrahim Bah -- Staff Column

SCSU Aramark student employees at the fast-food restaurants in Atwood's lower level are outraged with Aramark's new policy. They have long enjoyed the incentives of having coupons to eat at their workplaces. Starting this spring semester, management decided to have workers go to Garvey in order to redeem their coupons for a meal for various reasons. Most students did not like the change because eating at the fast-food places in Atwood as opposed to Garvey gave them flexibility of eating times and the option to take their food home. Others did not favor the change because Garvey is closed by the time they finish their shifts.

In an effort to resolve the situation, one student worker took the initiative to create a petition that was signed by a number of student co-workers. Unfortunately, because of this move, management decided to punish all its workers by ending the free meal incentive altogether.

Even though Aramark may have acted with valid business reasons to implement the initial changes, its action to crush the student workers' attempt to voice their opinion was blatantly inappropriate and uncalled for.

In addition, management's actions showed how its student-workers are easily subject to unfair treatment because most of them are students who can only have jobs on campus due to their limited opportunities and/or status that does not allow them to work off-campus. This left many in fear of redressing their grievances so as not to lose their jobs.

Modifying policies in a business is common and an accepted way to generate revenue and cut down on unnecessary expenses, but taking away employees' rights to voice opinions is not only eliminating their simplest rights as workers but is also an unfair labor practice. Moreover, Aramark's way of handling this situation by restraining its employees from voicing their opinion could set a bad precedent for other on-campus employers.

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