Friday, Oct. 2, students and organizers from UNITE HERE, the workers’ union representing College of William and Mary dining hall workers employed through Aramark, gathered behind the Wren Building for a demonstration.
Brian Liston, a lead organizer for UNITE HERE Local 25, said the College recently banned two dining hall employees from working or being on campus after they had served undercooked chicken. He claimed the alleged bans were conducted with minimal due process, not allowing the workers to review, clearly understand or appeal their punishments.
Liston said he thought it wasn’t unreasonable to discipline dining hall employees over food safety issues. However, he argued the College allegedly banning the workers from campus was unfair, as Aramark already demoted and punished the employees.
“[These are] workers who are working for not enough money, sweating over the fryer, to give us the food that we need,” he said.
Jack Guilfoyle ’29, co-president of College Socialists and one of the event’s student organizers, echoed a similar sentiment.
“Time and time again, William and Mary has proven that the only thing that matters to them is hearing from people who they get money from,” Guilfoyle said. “[Students] coming out and saying, ‘This is not ok’ is what’s going to get [the College] to actually do something about this.”
Liston said the gathering’s goal was to organize a union delegation, a form of collective action where a group marches to an employer’s office to make a specific demand or raise a complaint. He added that the delegation’s purpose was to demand that the College lift its alleged campus bans on the two dining hall employees and urge Aramark to push the school to do the same.
The group filed in a line and walked from behind the Sir Christopher Wren Building to the Campus Center, where College dining administrative offices are located. Dozens of students participated in the march.
After arriving at the Campus Center, the group knocked on Executive Director of Hospitality Adam Poling’s office door. Poling did not answer. Demonstrators then walked down the hall to Human Resource Manager for Campus Dining Kelly Pittman’s office.
Grace Carryer ’27, a student organizer with UNITE HERE and president of the College’s Young Democrats organization, stepped into Pittman’s office with Guilfoyle. The other participating students stood in the hallway.
Guilfoyle read a written statement to Pittman.
“We, the students of William and Mary, call on the College to lift the campus bans placed on two beloved dining food service workers,” he said. “We urge Aramark to take all reasonable and appropriate steps to advocate for William and Mary to lift the campus ban and to promptly communicate this request to the relevant decision-makers in Business Affairs.”
Guilfoyle specifically called on the College and Aramark to lift the alleged campus bans unless a “fair review” determined a reason to prevent the workers from returning. He called on the College and Aramark to provide transparent reasoning and due process to the allegedly banned workers, allowing them to understand and review the decision.
Guilfoyle also demanded that the College and Aramark address any future food safety issues through collaborative training and support, as well as with any other related “evidence-based” and “proportionate” actions.
“We urge William and Mary to reconsider these bans and work toward a solution that protects food safety while treating employees fairly,” he said.
Guilfoyle left the written statement with Pittman, who remained silent.
The delegation group then filtered out of the hallway and gathered in front of the Campus Center. Demonstrators surrounded Guilfoyle as he read the statement again, chanting in support of the allegedly banned workers.
Liston said UNITE HERE plans to hold more events after the College’s fall break in solidarity with the allegedly banned workers. He also promoted a petition supporting the dining hall employees and encouraged students to sign it.
As students began to leave the Campus Center, two William and Mary Police Department officers arrived. It was not immediately clear who called campus police on the demonstration.
The officers questioned Liston about the gathering, which dispersed without incident. No arrests were made.
Liston declined to comment on the demonstration or what the officers told him.
After the demonstration, Carryer argued that understaffing and mismanagement of campus dining halls have created additional strain on existing workers, contributing to mistakes such as undercooked chicken.
“The university is taking out pressure to fix the dining halls on the lowest-paid workers on this campus,” they said.
Carryer explained why they felt it was important to support dining hall workers.
“I’m a student out here trying to stand up for the workers who make our community the amazing place that it is to learn,” they said.
Guilfoyle later clarified via email that the allegedly banned dining service workers were offered the opportunity to work at Old Dominion University.
Conall S. Smith, a spokesperson for Aramark, provided a statement to The Flat Hat about the allegedly banned dining service workers. He also confirmed that the employees were given the opportunity to work elsewhere.
“Food safety is a top priority, and when concerns arise, we act promptly to address them and reinforce our established practices,” Smith said. “While we do not comment on individual personnel matters, we can confirm that the employees involved were offered other employment opportunities with Aramark.”
Smith said Aramark values the relationship it has with UNITE HERE.
“We remain available to hear and resolve any concerns the union may have through our established grievance process,” he said.
Executive Director of Media Relations Suzanne Clavet provided The Flat Hat with a comment on behalf WMPD about its involvement in the Campus Center demonstration.
“They disrupted the operations of the office and issued a demand letter which they also read aloud. Verbally, and in writing, the demonstrators said that ‘they would be back.’ WMPD was called to the W&M Dining offices following the departure of the demonstrators by staff who felt unsafe,” the statement read.
WMPD said the College supports constitutionally protected free expression but that the Campus Center demonstration violated university policy by disrupting William and Mary Dining operations.
WMPD said that they did not file any reports of crimes taking place at the Campus Center demonstration.
Clavet did not directly address whether the College issued the alleged campus bans against the former dining service employees.
