Roughly 100 University of Washington students are spending their last day of classes in an unusual fashion: instead of celebrating the end of term, they’ll be mounting a last-ditch attempt to pressure the UW administrators into cutting its contract with Sodexo, a concessions food vendor that human rights groups allege has a long history of worker abuse.
The protest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in front of Gerberding Hall. Students from the Kick Out Sodexo Coalition will be joined by UW’s Black Student Union, First Nations group, and MEChA (the Mexican-American student youth organization) to protest UW’s continued relationship with the food vendor before summer officially begins and the student population disperses.
“This has gone beyond Sodexo,” says Morgan Currier, an organizer with the Kick Out Sodexo Coalition. “It’s become a student-wide protest against an administration that really refuses to listen to student concerns.”
Those concerns started last October, when students started questioning UW President Phyllis Wise about the school’s contract with the food vendor, which has been accused by human rights groups of union busting, harassment, and reported cases of forcing female workers to take pregnancy tests before being hired. The UW was scheduled to renew its food vendor contract with Sodexo in March. However, after facing mounting pressure and protests from the Kick Out Sodexo Coalition, the university delayed the process until this summer—when students aren’t around to make a fuss.
The University of Washington is the last public university in the state contracting with Sodexo. Today’s protest marks the last of three-weeks’ worth of protests and student sit-ins that have resulted in the arrest of roughly 40 students. (More background here, here, and here.)
So what will today’s protest accomplish?
Currier says that in the best case scenario, UW administrators would “finally realize that ignoring student concerns is no longer acceptable and that they should cut the contract with Sodexo and ensure this concessions contract goes to a company the students can believe in and get behind.” Worst case scenario, the administration weathers this last protest and does whatever the hell it pleases this summer. But at this point, that would do major damage to the university’s reputation, given that administrators have already agreed to honor fair labor standards when signing their next concessions contract—standards that the Kick Out Sodexo Coalition say the food vendor fails to meet.
It could also spell more protests next year, as discontent with a tone-deaf administration continues to mount. “We have widespread support among students and campus organizations,” says Currier. “If that’s not enough to end [UW’s] relationship with a human rights abuser, what actions will administrators take next year while ignoring the will of the students?”
President Wise’s office still hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
Who will be doing their commencement cheerlead? I saw on msnbcrap last night a montage of speakers and graduates for 2011. Amy Poehler, Thomas Friedman (who got his ass sniffed in a Slog post this morning) Bryan Williams and Tom Hanks all had Oprahisms to profess, especially Friedman. Hanks was just jokey, good ole Forrest. Different strokes these days I suppose; I never protested my college nor bothered attending graduation. Too burnt out from all the studying. What a dud is me.
Looking at their human rights abuses, seem like Sodexo really isnt any different than Foxcon. I doubt any of those protesting students are willing to give up their iPhone’s.
Tomorrow is the last day of classes.
–Sophomore currently supposed to be paying attention in class.
@2 Then you’re a moron.
so if this is such a big deal and slog worthy where were the other 30,000 students at?
Friday is the last day of classes.
@4 “Then you’re a moron.”
Then educate me. Most of what im reading (mind you, its mostly amateur blogs) is anti-union stuff. Treating employees poorly in attempts to keep them from forming a union, which is not uncomon compared to other companies operating overseas, or even in the USA. And when compared to companies that make our phones in China, Sodexo seems tame.
Im not reading about any forced abortions, kidnappings, murders or suicides. I dont see any protests in those countries being violently put down by their leaders.
Seriously, most of this appears to be anti-union stuff, which is ironic that students are protesting (in favor for) union rights in other countries, when they should be fighting for union rights in the USA!
@7 the people who post that are old whiny people who subsist on union pensions, Social Security and Medicare but dream of a fantasy Ayn Randian utopia where guns and glory are theirs.
Ignore them.
@7 Sry, I should’ve been more specific, Kinison. Not saying Foxcon and such aren’t worse than Sodexo. I’m just taking issue with your belief that there isn’t a single UW student protestor who also cares enough about the working conditions that produce smartphones to find one that was either produced far more ethically or to go without. We’re talking college social welfare idealists here. There’s gotta be at least like 2 of ’em that do, man.
And hey, I’m happy when anyone is fighting for union rights anywhere. National borders are convenient fictions, we’re all in this together.
@9: Don’t discount organizational disarray as a possibility. UW has been operating under an interim president who was essentially just there to keep the seat warm, and they just announced her replacement. There’s basically no one steering the boat at the moment.
@10
Thats fine, but I really think their efforts are a big bowl of fail.
Their efforts now, should be used to champion for worker rights in the USA. They can always boycott the foods in the stadium, I know I will now that I know whats going on and technically I knew it the first few times they did this. All they seem to be doing now is getting arrested.
@12
I am both a Kick Out Sodexo coalition member as well as a member of the union UAW. Just wanted to take this opportunity to alleviate your concerns about the coalition’s efforts to support unions in the US. First, on campus, the coalition has supported various unions, including my own, during different actions. This past Tuesday, UAW staged a sit-in to show our frustration with the administrations failure to grant us a fair contract. Many members of the coalition joined the sit-in. Secondly, by targeting Sodexo the coalition is supporting the rights of US workers to organize into a union. The NLRB has filed suit against Sodexo because it has retaliated against its employees that have tried to organize. They have even used campus police to spy on and harass workers attempting to form or join a union. (Booo!)
Hope that helps clear up the issue: Sodexo is bad for workers in the US and abroad. It’s time for a contract cut!