MEChA de UChicago

UChicago MEChA

Who is M.E.Ch.A?

El Movimiento Estudiantil Chican@ de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A) is part of a larger movement and our specific M.E.Ch.A. chapter is both an activist and cultural recognized student organization, that uses community service, political involvement and education as a means for change. M.E.Ch.A. is not only open to Chicana/o or Latina/o students but also to anyone who identifies with and commits themselves to promoting culture, history and higher education as devices of change among the oppressed.


Our weekly meetings are held every Tuesday at 7:00PM in OMSA: 5710 S. Woodlawn

Donations are always welcome! Mail checks to 5706 S. University Ave. Chicago, IL 60637
Payable to: The University of Chicago- M.E.Ch.A

Monday, February 15, 2010

Aramark Updates!






First, thank you so much to all those who helped and reported back on the call-in today! As proof of its success, UChicago Aramark replied at 3:30pm TODAY wanting to set up a meeting with us!

But we're not through just yet. They also gave us the same spiel about how Aramark has been working with the CIW, which we already know isn't legit so aside from setting up a meeting with our Aramark reps...we're switching gears and calling up headquarters tomorrow and Thursday! We figured this time around we could make it specific to CEO Joseph Neubauer since he's on our Board of Trustees.

So now our script is looking a little something like this:

Hello, may I speak with Joseph Neubauer? My name is ______, and I am [insert affiliation/where you're calling from ]. I’m concerned that Aramark has yet to sign an agreement with the CIW to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato workers.

In response to student demands, Aramark campus managers at The University of Chicago, where Aramark CEO Joseph Neubauer sits on the Board of Trustees, will soon be meeting with students to talk about these issues. But this is not the only step.

Until Aramark signs the agreement, the campaign against Aramark labor practices will continue. Thank you for your time.

These are the general numbers we want to call to ask for Neubauer:

215-238-3000
1-800-ARAMARK

But here are some more in case those for some reason don't go through:

215-238-7795 (Associate VP of Corporate Responsibility Robert Dennill)
215-413-8529 (Bruce Alperin, Senior Director of Marketing, Facility Services, Aramark Higher Education)
215-409-7320 (Nicole Handy, Human Resource Representative, Aramark Higher Education)

Check out Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=213745354985&index=1


Spread the word and on behalf of the UofC, thank you so much!

Aramark Campaign








For more information please contact Vicko Alvarez lizardkueen@gmail.com

This message is to inform you that UofC will be having a call-in for the CIW Dine with Dignity Campaign this Tues, Wed, and Thurs and we'd love to have all of your support. We have two targets right now, the president of our University (Robert Zimmer) and our Aramark Dining Service provider. They still have not replied to our request to set up a meeting with them. We figured they could ignore our letter but they can't ignore all of our calls. Below is the script we wrote up. I believe the Aramark office and Zimmer's office close by 5pm central so if you could call one or the other (or both!) before then that would be great. Our campus also has the CEO of Aramark on our Board of Trustees so the more support at UofC the better.

Thank you so much and as always let me know if you have any questions!

In solidarity,
-Victoria
---------------------------------------------------

Aramark Dining Services Phone Number: 773-834-8450 Hi, this is a message for the head manager at UChicago Aramark. My name is ________, and I’m a student at the University of Chicago. I’m calling in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a Florida-based farmworker organization. I’m concerned that Aramark has yet to sign an agreement with the CIW to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato harvesters, especially since Aramark’s competitor, the Compass Group, signed just such an agreement in September 2009. It appears that Aramark is dragging its feet in responding to this issue and as a student of the university, I expect communication and association with the CIW workers to result in a signed agreement with the CIW as soon as possible to address the problem. I also request that you respond to students request to meet and discuss the issue at hand. Until this is carried through, the campaign against Aramark labor practices will continue. Thank you.



President Zimmer Phone Number: 773-702-8001
Hi, this a message for President Zimmer. My name is ________, and I’m a student at the University of Chicago. I’m calling in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a Florida-based farmworker organization. I’m concerned that the university has not addressed the problem concerning Aramark’s failure to improve CIW wages and working conditions for Florida tomato harvesters. Aramark has yet to sign an agreement to deal with the issue. The university’s affiliation with Aramark services reflects poorly on university principles and thus we insist in taking action against such unfair practices. It appears that Aramark is dragging its feet in responding to this issue and as a student of the university, I expect communication and association with the CIW workers to result in a signed agreement with the CIW as soon as possible to address the problem. I also request that you respond to students request to meet and discuss the issue at hand. Until this is carried through, the campaign against the university’s association with Aramark labor practices will continue. Thank you.