In a huge blunder - worthy of the phrase "astroturfing" (pretending to be grassroots, but in the end, fake) - Sodexo has published an opinion piece in the student newspaper The Emory Wheel, made to look like it was written by Emory dining employees rather than management.

But a simple Google search reveals that one of the co-authors, Suzanne Barner, is not an Emory Dining employee, but has worked as a Sodexo Marketing Manager and is now obtaining her law degree not at Emory University, but rather Georgia State University. It is not clear that the other Sodexo employees even work in the cafeteria.

It's a response that isn't just troubling from an "astroturfing" standpoint. Since the beginning of the Clean Up Sodexo campaign, Sodexo's canned response has been that Sodexo is not anti-union. In particular, in a response to our campaign, Sodexo has stated that the company "unequivocally respects the rights of our employees to unionize, or not to unionize."

But in the opinion piece in question, Sodexo Manager Suzanne Barner co-writes: "A union is not the right solution...as Emory Dining employees, we do not feel that this measure is needed."

The opinion piece also argues that while Emory Dining employees do appreciate the outpouring of support towards Sodexo workers, a union isn't the way to go, because Sodexo has benefits like a "year-end celebration where gifts such as TVs, gift cards, iPods and Nintendo Wiis are raffled off." That's right, Nintendo Wiis.

Here's what it comes down to:

• Workers are standing up for respect and dignity on the job. This is about much more than a raise--workers want opportunities for advancement, fair treatment, and a voice at work.
• Sodexo workers don't want a raffle for an iPod or candy on their birthday, but a real path to the middle class.
• It's offensive that Sodexo managers would pretend to be food service workers. They are standing up for their rights, their lives, and for their children's/families future in creating a better life.
• It's clear to both the workers at Sodexo and Sodexo management that the workers won't back down and know they have the community's support.

In the meantime, readers of The Emory Wheel aren't falling for it:

• Reader "mariposa29," in the Wheel's comments section, writes: "This reads like a public relations ploy by Sodexo. In fact, if you look up Suzanne Barner's public LinkedIn page, it says online that she worked for Sodexo as a 'Marketing Manager'."
• Reader "lsoltis" writes: "People from the Sodexo's marketing department, who are paid to improve the company's brand image, wrote this article from the viewpoint of rank and file food-service workers and intentionally misled the Emory community."
• Reader "MAH618" writes: "I can't decide what is more sad about this: people in positions of high privilege assuming the position of the oppressed in order to justify their oppression or the fact that they really think giving workers a free uniform can alleviate all of the other injustices."