Hi, my name is Lige English, and I've been working for Sodexo as a barista for 5 years at a café called "Java ++" at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

I grew up in a union household, and have seen the union benefit in my own life already. Contracts provide the kind of stability and security that workers need in a modern economy and that labor deserves for its efforts. Even mere stability of hours and protections against arbitrary termination represent a marked improvement in working conditions.

I have seen renegotiated contracts guarantee a standard of living. I have seen the union assure the propriety of management. More directly, I have been, and continue to be, the recipient of my mother's benefits.

Some of the most significant grievances that I take with the company include what I believe is non-professional management that favors some workers over others. I've seen detectable favoritism, punitive assignments, punitive schedule changes, and similar acts of managerial aggression. This has engendered a general suspicion which runs through the staff, and between staff and management. I believe this dampens worker ingenuity , demeans the worker and his/her morale, and keeps us from being as productive as we can be--which in the end can mean reduced hours and lost jobs.

Hours are highly variable throughout the year. By maintaining a reserve of floaters, deliberately kept below full time, the company lowers staffing costs by denying benefits -- such as health insurance. Rather than hiring enough workers at a fair wage, these floaters are moved about to fill holes in the schedule on a whim. During both summer and the intersession -- when there are less students on campus -- there is a round of layoffs and a significant reduction of hours for those workers left.

I have been fortunate to be able to draw on my mother's vision and dental benefits. As an organized state employee, she has quality benefits, which are extended to me as a full time student. Many of my coworkers are not so lucky. I know a great many uninsured and under-insured Sodexo workers at RPI.

It is unfair that a Fortune 500 company does not pay a sufficient wage or take responsible portion of healthcare costs. If I lost coverage through my mother, I would not take insurance under Sodexo's current policy. Rather than taking on health insurance through the company, I have chosen to bet against my youth for now. If I lost my mother's coverage, I would not pursue my own policy through the company. For the relatively high price of mediocre care, I would continue to gamble that my good health will hold until such time as I have a professional job.

I support the union for Sodexo workers. Unions have proven benefits, not only in raising standards for workers. Improved labor-management relations are a result that typically follows organization in short order. Improved efficiency would benefit both the university and the student body. And the community always benefits as a whole when its people are paid a fair price for their labor.