Bon Appétit employees who work in TDR and other on-campus eateries are trying to renegotiate contracts with Bon Appétit for more hours and better wages.
Bon Appétit recently cut hours for full-time employees, making it difficult for workers to provide for their families, according to Student-Worker Alliance member Ethan Miller. The Student-Worker Alliance is an on-campus group that advocates for labor groups working at AU, including adjunct professors and food service workers.
“The cost of living is increasing, but our wages are not,” said Damon Johnson, a Bon Appétit employee. Johnson said he has been working at the pizza station in TDR for seven years.
Bon Appétit employees work in on-campus eateries, including TDR, Einstein Bros Bagels, the Tavern and the Eagle’s Nest.
Many employees have asked Bon Appétit for higher wages, but their employers keep prolonging negotiations, Johnson said.
The company does offer its employees adequate benefits, Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation President Maisie Greenawalt said.
“We take tremendous pride in offering Bon Appétit Management Company associates a rewarding and promising career with competitive benefits,” she said in an email.
Bon Appétit employees received tremendous support from the student body, Johnson said.
“I love it,” he said. “Students can speak out and say many of the things that we employees can’t. By working together, we can make progress.”
Real Food Real Jobs, an organization that promotes sustainable food and livable wages for workers, met with Bon Appétit employees and students on Oct. 24 in support of the Bon Appétit employees’ pursuit of fair working conditions.
“Students want to eat real food, and food service workers want to cook real food,” Jon Berger, a D.C. community ally at Real Food Real Jobs, said in an email.
However, Miller said workers need a greater say in both food production and job security in order to cook quality food.
Berger said employees should receive the hours and benefits they need to support themselves and their families.
“We want to provide better meals and more food variety to students,” Johnson said. “We are giving our best, but we aren’t getting anything in return.”
news@theeagleonline.com
