More than 170 food service workers at SFU are unsure whether they’ll still have a job come May.
The university’s contract with its current food supplier, Chartwells (a division of Compass Group Canada) ends April 30.
The contract was set to expire five years ago, but both sides opted to extend it, according to Kurt Heinrich, SFU’s director of communications.
“It’s the first time in memory that the contract has actually been tendered and the risk of losing the tender exists,” he told the NOW in an email.
That’s not sitting well with the SFU employees who are afraid of losing their jobs and union contract, said Octavian Cadabeschi with Unite Here Local 40, the union representing the workers.
“They’ve been building on this contract through round after round of negotiations for years. They’ve fought for a number of protections; they’ve fought for benefits. Their contract is what separates them from workers in a very precarious food service position,” he said.
Heinrich noted part of the request for proposal states the successful vendor must offer employment to all existing staff in positions equivalent to their currents jobs and at a current or better wage.
But Cadabeschi said there’s no guarantee everyone will be retained.
“At the end of the day, the offer of a job isn’t the same thing as everybody transferring over. I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if through the process of everybody reapplying, inevitably, some people might end up not employed,” he said, noting this is the first time in 25 years that changing suppliers has resulted in workers receiving termination notices.
Many of the dining hall workers are immigrants and older adults, noted Cadabeschi, who said having to reapply for a job might not be easy for them.
“Even if they’re asked to start over as new employees for some of our more senior members, that’s going to be very challenging. They’re not in the same position to compete with the younger folks,” he said.
Heinrich said the university recognizes that workers feel uncertain about the transition, but promised to make it as “smooth and quick as possible.”
“SFU is very appreciative of the work the staff of the many dining facilities provide for our students, faculty, staff and visitors. ... We know that the people in these roles are vital members of our community and we want to ensure they know how much we value them,” he added.
Unite Here Local 40 is holding a rally in support of the workers at the SFU Burnaby campus today (Feb. 24) at 3 p.m.
