Recently Sodexo workers and community members have been standing up for their rights and safe working conditions from Sodexo. Watch the video below of highlights from a rally held at the Cleveland Sodexo laundry facilities, with Sodexo worker interviews and local leaders speaking out:
Workers called for justice from Sodexo management in the lobby of the Sodexo building, many of whom are fighting for safer working conditions, training on handling biohazard products, greater availability of water in hot conditions, and the freedom to form a union to have a collective voice.
Since 2005, laundry facilities in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo have received citations from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for serious or repeat violations that could put their workers at risk of injury or death.
"It's just shameful what is going on here," State Representative Mike Foley said to the crowd outside at the rally. "The working conditions, the lack of wages... it is shameful."
]]>As we've mentioned before, high production quotas mean managers and supervisors might favor speed over safety, and pressure workers into dangerous practices. While Billy works hard to meet his production quotas, he has seen other workers struggle to keep up on the job. "[Management] knows it's hard to meet... If they don't get their numbers up then they try to tell them they don't need them any more..."
]]> Billy arrives at work sometimes up to an hour early, and cuts his breaks short, to assure he meets his quota. "My break is 15 minutes, but I usually take a 10 minute break...so I can keep up." Coming in early for his shift, he prepares for the work he has to complete on his machines - preparation time done during working hours can delay his ability to reach a quota. He sorts things in the back, so he can be ready to go as soon as the clock starts on his shift.The demanding pace can put some workers at risk of injury and cause them to take unsafe actions on the job.
Billy reports that some of the equipment and gear in the laundry plant can cause strains, cuts and injuries. He's been scraped by laundry carts that are falling apart, and gets sore legs from the mats the workers must stand on. "I get pain in my knee sometimes, swelling up...but I just get through the day."
Supervisors often turn a blind eye to workers cutting corners in order to reach quotas, and sometimes even encourage it. Rather than focus on workers' safety and follow protocol, supervisors allow workers to unjam laundry from dangerous machinery instead of calling a maintenance person to do it. Sticking limbs into jammed machines or entering into laundry equipment that has not been properly shut down could cause injury or death to employees.
]]>Today, the Columbus Dispatch featured Marcia in a story about unaffordable health insurance and the uninsured. The article focuses on national health reform, and highlights Marcia as a patient who would benefit from health reform in the United States.
New laws mandate that by 2014, employers will have to provide affordable health insurance options to their employees -- ensuring that workers like Marcia can get the coverage they need to survive. Unfortunately for the thousands of Sodexo workers like Marcia, who are struggling to survive with low wages and expensive health insurance, 2014 is a long way away.
For 10 years, Marcia worked at Sodexo without being offered health benefits. Now a full-time employee, health insurance options are provided -- but Marcia makes so little in wages that she can't afford the plans that Sodexo offers.
Snell said the out-of-pocket costs on plans with cheaper premiums were too high for her. And she said she couldn't afford $100 a week on her $280 weekly paycheck.You can read the full article here.]]>
"It was Cadillac-priced insurance," she said. "It was cheaper to go to the doctor and pay my doctor."
A supervisor within the South Plainfield School District alerted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of these dangers, all of which were classified as "serious," meaning there was a "substantial probability that death or serious injury could occur from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known."
The citations against Sodexo include:
Brian Barker, the whistleblower in this case, says that he called OSHA after Sodexo management ignored his repeated requests to correct the problems.
"I've been a groundskeeper for 26 years. When I came to Sodexo I was shocked because they were not in compliance with safety regulations," said Brian, who was manager of grounds keeping for Sodexo in South Plainfield. "Finally, I said enough is enough and called OSHA."
What happened next, though, came as a surprise. The day he notified his manager that he had contacted OSHA, Brian received his first written discipline since he began working for Sodexo last year. Then after the OSHA citation was issued, Sodexo abruptly eliminated his position - even though Brian had just earned a promotion in January. This week he filed a complaint with OSHA that Sodexo retaliated against him for reporting the hazards.
Community members, union leaders and elected officials are worried about the possible connection.
"I am concerned that Sodexo cut the position of the worker who alerted OSHA to these dangers that could have been life-threatening," said US Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12), who is a member of the House Education and Labor Committee. "It seems to me that Sodexo has failed to meet its obligation to keep New Jersey students safe." The Sodexo cleaning and maintenance workers in South Plainfield do not belong to a union.
Sodexo is one of New Jersey's largest school contractors, providing food service, grounds keeping and custodial services to 73 New Jersey school districts.
]]>Joined together by the common goal of building awareness around Sodexo's poor working conditions, the groups have been meeting with other workers, attending rallies, protesting Sodexo events, and planning actions that will support their fight.
After first coming together in Washington, students and workers in the program quickly learned the importance of working together to reach their goals, especially after hearing others talk about their struggles.
"I'm mainly here to support the workers, because they have stories that need to be heard. My story is nothing compared to what they have to go through," Ohio State student Nick Pasquarello said on why he chose to spend his summer supporting Sodexo workers.
Check out this short video of students and workers talking about the powerful reasons they're working together this summer in places like Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, California and Pennsylvania:
The students and workers involved in the Summer Brigade program are learning essential organizing tools that they can take back to their schools or workplaces as leaders in the fight against Sodexo's poor standards. While Sodexo service employees will aim on educating their coworkers on their rights, the students plan to use these skills to build awareness around the issues Sodexo presents on their campuses, and call for action from their college or university administrations.
"We're going to show Sodexo that we're a force to be reckoned with," said Terasia Bradford, a student at Ohio State University. "When they tell their workers that they can't form a union, and that they're not going to give you these basic rights and respect, that's not okay. They can't continue to do these things to these workers and just let it slide by."
We'll be bringing you more videos of students and workers expressing their passion for fighting for workers' rights as they continue throughout the summer.
]]>This is what happens when you chronically underpay your workers and fail to provide affordable health care coverage:
Meet Marcia Snell. She's hardworking and committed. She's worked for Sodexo for over 10 years at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH.
Marcia had been told by doctors that she must take a blood thinner like Plavix in order to avoid a heart attack or other serious heart conditions. But on her low Sodexo wages, she simply could not afford it. Earlier this month, it caught up with her, and she had to have triple bypass surgery.
The good news is that Marcia came through surgery well and is feeling better. The bad news is that she is worrying about paying her bills instead of focusing on her recovery. She and her son and one of her daughters live together and split up their bills. They all work for Sodexo, and by pooling their wages they just barely make ends meet. Now that Marcia must take off from work to recover, the entire family is facing financial ruin.
Marcia's friends and family have set up a secure PayPal account where anyone can donate to help cover Marcia's expenses while she is recovering and unable to work. Even small donations will go far in helping the family stay on its feet. Just log into PayPal and direct your donation to joe.musick1@gmail.com.
But as Marcia says, this isn't just about her. Sodexo workers across the United States are living on the edge, barely getting by on low wages and inadequate health care.
Sodexo can do better, but workers must organize to make it happen. We hope you'll join with Marcia to clean up Sodexo.
Click here to sign up for email alerts from the campaign, click here to join us on Facebook, and click here to email us to find out how you can get involved at your workplace or school and in your community.
]]>The $20 million is the largest-ever monetary settlement under the New York False Claims Act that does not involve Medicaid funds.
Yesterday, we touched on Sodexo's "kickback" system that has been alleged to lead to inflated food costs. Here's how it works:
"Food manufacturers like Kellogg's and Pepperidge Farm offer rebates as an incentive to purchasers to buy certain products over others for school meals. These rebates -- which have been called 'kickbacks' from suppliers -- go to the food service companies; it's not always clear if school districts see the benefit, as documented in the In These Times report. While money changes hands, your child is eating Pop-Tarts and drinking sugary, flavored milk."
This investigation by Attorney General Cuomo's office determined that Sodexo "promised to provide goods at cost" but failed to acknowledge these rebates. This resulted in "illegal overcharges to the schools" that were "in violation of the contracts, as well as state and federal laws."
These facilities included:
- 21 New York school districts
- Institutions within the State University of New York (SUNY) system
- The Children's Village, a New York treatment center for at-risk-youth, with facilities in Westchester County and New York City,
- Abbott House, which provides services to abused, neglected and abandoned children and their families and to developmentally disabled children and adults in the New York City area and surrounding counties.
"This company cut sweetheart deals with suppliers and then denied taxpayer-supported schools the benefits," said Cuomo.
The investigation was prompted when John and Jay Carciero, former general managers for Sodexo in Massachusetts, were "outraged when they discovered Sodexo's practice of pressuring food and beverage vendors to kick back huge rebates and then secretly pocketing the savings," according to a release by the law firm that represented the Carcieros throughout this process.
After John blew the whistle, John says that Sodexo fired him. His brother also was "retaliated against, demoted and later fired for the same reason." These claims were resolved as part of today's settlement.
John Carciero had this to say in light of today's settlement:
"The millions of dollars from the rebates should have gone back to schools and other government clients. Sodexo betrayed the trust of the clients it was supposed to serve and hurt taxpayers at the same time. We went through some tough times because we chose to speak out against what Sodexo was doing."
New York isn't the only state where Sodexo accepts rebates from vendors. Cuomo's investigation revealed that these actions are "common practice" by Sodexo, who seems to have no shame in generating these illegal overcharges at the expense of our schools and of children in need.
]]>Northeastern students Claire Lewis and Kate Pipa wrote a letter to the editor in today's Huntington News, the student newspaper, expressing their concerns over the university's possible decision to open up a contract to a new food service provider.
"There are many issues to consider, but one company is clearly the wrong choice for our university: That company is called Sodexo."
The letter calls out Sodexo's labor issues at other colleges and universities, including low wages, complaints filed with the National Labor Relations Board, and a large class action lawsuit filed by former workers for race-bias discrimination. The company has contracts with other Massachusetts schools, such as Clark University, Anna Maria College and Merrimack College. Students at all of these schools have been protesting Sodexo's unfair worker treatment over the past year.
The students at Northeastern warned that a contract with a company with a labor record like Sodexo's would clash with the university's standards. Only if Sodexo were to improve workers' hourly wages and working conditions, and acknowledge their legal right to form a union, would Sodexo's presence at Northeastern be accepted.
"We should hold Northeastern to the highest accountability by choosing a food service provider that takes responsibility for its employees' wellbeing and provides for their needs. We should demand fair labor standards at Northeastern and justice for the people who are as much a part of our campus community as the students and professors."]]>
Last week, The Washington Post staff chowed down at the cafeterias of various federal government buildings in Washington, D.C. The exercise in eating was a taste test of the results of new government food service contracts that were put in place to encourage the use of healthier, organic and local food. The Post rated the food at seven federal cafeterias on availability of healthful options, variety and taste. One of the worst-scoring cafeterias was the Sodexo-serviced South Café at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
As Jane Black writes about the 100-calorie snack packs filled with cookies and chips, she noted that, "there was plenty [of food items] that a PR guy could tout as healthful."
But among the other food served by Sodexo at the South Café were cheese quesadillas with 780 calories and 53 grams of fat, a chicken entree "as dry as sawdust," slices of frozen pizza and a chicken sandwich with reheated pre-cooked meat. Even an employee was taken aback by the meals served at the country's own executive department for farming, agriculture and food.
"Are you reviewing the food here?" a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee asked when she spied me scribbling notes near the salad bar. "Because it's disgusting. We are the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There is no reason why the food can't be appetizing and appealing."
Sodexo's use of pre-cooked meat in federal services is nothing new. And experience shows that when such precooked foods are prepared centrally, safety risks at the source of production can spread to the point of sale. In 2001, the U.S. Marine Corps consolidated its food service contracts to save money. When awarded the contract, Sodexo centralized some of its Marine Corps food production at a "cook-chill" facility in Tennessee. Food was prepared, frozen, and shipped around the country to be reheated on base.
But in 2007, Sodexo ended its Marine-related operations at the facility, one month after the USDA issued a voluntary recall of nearly 3,000 pounds of chicken that may have been contaminated with bacteria. Some of the recalled chicken had been shipped to Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
In April of this year, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) called for an investigation of Sodexo for possible food safety concerns, as Sodexo nears the end of its eight-year contract with the Marine Corps. Sanchez's office recalls public records that show there had been "a pattern of food safety problems" at the Tennessee facility, including 70 USDA records of food safety noncompliance between December 2005 and September 2009.
As Rep. Sanchez said of Sodexo's expensive contracts, "The government has an obligation to use taxpayer dollars responsibly." But above and beyond government contracts, Sodexo also has an obligation to follow through on their promises: if the company is touting healthy food options, they should be serving healthy food options in their cafeterias nationwide.
The Washington Post review was just one cafeteria. But what Sodexo serves its customers should meet their purported standards of quality, and it makes you wonder what they're feeding America's teens and children at schools and universities across the country.
If Sodexo is going to push the importance of fresh and nutritious foods on us in their public relations, they need to step up to the plate and act on their commitments.
]]>The protest highlighted health and safety violations by the France-based food service contractor at its U.S. worksites, including a Bastille Day skit featuring "King Sodexo" mistreating workers dressed in peasant rags--a satirical take-off on the oppressive regime of King Louis XVI, the French monarch who was dethroned after French citizens stormed the Bastille. Watch a video of the protest:
Why protest Sodexo at the Association of Physical Plant Administrators convention? Because physical plant administrators are responsible for almost every day-to-day aspect of how a college or public school system runs--from custodial services to cafeterias. "If these schools are contracting with Sodexo or even thinking about it, they should know about Sodexo's record on workplace safety," said Adriana Fieldman, New England organizing director for the Clean Up Sodexo campaign. "We're trying to shine a spotlight on Sodexo's health and safety record, and prevent more workplace injuries and fatalities."
Sodexo's track record on the safety and health of its employees speaks for itself. Since 2000, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and various state workplace safety agencies have found 160 violations and levied penalties of more than $200,000 against Sodexo at its various worksites across the country. In just the last 12 months, there have been 12 complaints filed against Sodexo through OSHA.
In one particular case of Sodexo committing "serious violations" of health and safety laws, a Sodexo laundry worker at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami was killed in September 2001 after he fell to his death in an elevator shaft while operating a "tow motor." OSHA later cited Sodexo for serious violation of the OSHA standard on training for handling heavy power equipment.
There's a new section of CleanUpSodexo.org that gives a voice to the workers in Sodexo laundry plants who deserve better--click here to check out the site and hear their stories. You'll want to hear what they have to say.
]]>Last week, Ed Bruske at Grist wrote a startling article about the kickbacks contracted food service companies are earning by partnering with particular, large food manufacturers - which often lead to schools serving processed foods with high sugar and sodium contents. Food manufacturers like Kellogg's and Pepperidge Farm offer rebates as an incentive to purchasers to buy certain products over others for school meals. These rebates -- which have been called "kickbacks" from suppliers -- go to the food service companies; it's not always clear if school districts see the benefit, as documented in the In These Times report. While money changes hands, your child is eating Pop-Tarts and drinking sugary, flavored milk.
Bruske's story reinforces the idea that companies like Sodexo are more focused on revenue than serving healthy foods in cafeterias. The article mentions several of the nation's leading food service companies, but one of the most must-read paragraphs includes a quote from a former Sodexo manager who admitted that the company rewarded employees who pursued these manufacturer rebates:
[...] Rick Hughes, who spent eight years as a manager for Sodexo in Colorado, said performance evaluations were based in part on how well Sodexo employees adhered to the company's choice of products, determined in large part by manufacturer rebates.
"We were rewarded for purchasing specific products," said Hughes, who now works the other side of the fence, as food services director of Colorado Spring School District 11. "Especially if the company is mandating that you buy their foods, absolutely that's what food service directors are buying," Hughes said. "There's big money tied up in big company food and agribusiness. There's not a whole lot of money tied up in fresh vegetables and fruits. So just follow the money. That's what's being given to kids."
For more, read the article in its entirety here.
]]>"They want you to do 8 hours of work in 6 hours," Bessie says. "They pressure you."
Working with heavy machinery and large loads of sheets and gowns has also put physical pressures on Bessie and her coworkers. It's possible for workers to injure themselves in trying to meet production quotas, especially if they aren't experienced in working with the machines. "That's kind of strenuous, and doing it in a fast motion you can pull a muscle, sprain yourself, anything... My wrist right now is getting to be a problem."
Bessie tries to do her job well, but it's hard when she feels her supervisors don't care about workers' training or safety. Workers feel encouraged by their supervisors to take shortcuts that could lead to injuries, like unjamming machines by themselves or dealing with dangerous mechanical problems that should actually be fixed by an experienced maintenance person.
In the video above, Bessie talks about the pressures and strains of meeting high production quotas, and feeling forced to take shortcuts that could put workers and the public at risk.
]]>This month Sodexo settled with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, after it found merit in workers' charges that management coercively interrogated, threatened, spied on and unfairly disciplined cafeteria workers at Lafayette College.
Under an agreement with the NLRB, Sodexo must remove the discipline it imposed on Genevieve Repsher, a Lafayette cafeteria worker, who charged that she was fired in retaliation for her support of joining a union. Sodexo must also individually notify each employee of their right to form a union, and pledge to not "coercively question" employees or interfere with possible union activity through surveillance, blocking meetings, or removing employees from worksites. The NLRB began investigating alleged violations in February, after SEIU local union 32BJ filed the charges on the workers' behalf.
After working seven years for Sodexo and only earning a meager 9 dollars an hour, Genevieve Repsher started standing up for her rights. As The Express-Times reports:
When she showed interest in organizing fellow workers with Service Employees International Union Local 32-BJ, she said, she was followed, watched, interrogated and disciplined by Sodexo management. ...Repsher said Wednesday she hopes the situation improves with the settlement, "but I expect things will go back to intimidation just like before."
Many workers and union leaders feel that the NLRB compliance is unfortunately not enough.
"It's an outrage that a company like Sodexo can unleash a campaign of coercion against workers and the only penalty is a mailing and to remove discipline that shouldn't have been there in the first place," said Wayne MacManiman, Mid-Atlantic Area Director of 32BJ SEIU. "Sodexo workers deserve a fair process to form a union--free from management's interference."
In addition to Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lafayette College, Sodexo workers at Muhlenberg College, Moravian College, LehighUniversity and Sacred Heart Hospital are organizing with 32BJ SEIU. Sodexo workers across the country have been fighting this year for higher wages, access to affordable healthcare, and the right to form a union to earn better working conditions.
"Allegations that we interfere with workers' rights to unionize are false," Sodexo spokesperson Alfred King said in an April interview with Pennsylvania television station WFMZ-TV.
Perhaps this most recent settlement will educate Mr. King and his colleagues on the reality of management-employee relations in Sodexo facilities. Yesterday King told Lehigh Valley newspaper The Morning Call, "We wanted this settled before the fall. Part of the settlement is to move on."
For now, Sodexo workers are skeptical that the company has learned any lessons thus far. "Sodexo has intimidated people to not support the union," said food service worker Gregory Ward. "If Sodexo sticks to the agreement, it would be enough to make up for what they've done, but I don't know if they will."
]]>Diversity can definitely have a positive impact on how a company is perceived by the public. But Sodexo's "competitive edge" doesn't necessarily reflect what's actually happening within the company. Sodexo's value of diversity doesn't always result in improved treatment of its workers, accountability for discrimination, or opportunities for employees to rise in the company.
The reality is, even after paying $80 million to settle a landmark discrimination lawsuit brought by African American managers against Sodexo, the proportion of minorities in the company's management has barely changed.
The following numbers cast serious doubt on Sodexo's progress to increase opportunities for African Americans and other minorities within the company:
A number of frontline Sodexo workers outside of the 2005 lawsuit have also raised concerns about their ability to rise through the ranks--along with basic issues like respect and dignity on the job when confronted with racially charged comments.
Here's just one example from George, a Sodexo worker at Georgia Tech:
"We had a director at our unit actually refer to the employees as monkeys. It bothers me to even talk about it."
The moral of this Sodexo story: The experience of Sodexo's workers in the real world speak louder than any magazine award. The company has proved they still have a long way to go on the issue of diversity. And if Sodexo's boasted 'competitive edge' in the industry comes at the expense of its workforce...they don't deserve the praise.
Watch Sodexo workers and students talk about diversity issues in the video below.
]]>We've created a new section of cleanupsodexo.org that gives a voice to the workers in Sodexo laundry plants who deserve better.
Click here to check out the site and hear their stories. You'll want to hear what they have to say.
]]>