Arizona State University food service workers continued protests on Thursday, demanding higher wages and better working conditions from service provider Aramark.
Workers say they’re not making a livable wage since the cost of living continues to rise in Arizona. They want better benefits and better pay. The workers have been in negotiations with Aramark for several months over a new contract.
The ASU workers are represented by Unite Here Local 11.
“People are getting priced out much more rapidly than we would have ever seen under that prior contract before, and it's why it’s so necessary for there to be significant wage and benefit increases in this one,” labor union attorney Maxwell Ulin said.
“We remain far apart on a number of really important matters to make life affordable for the workers,” Ulin said.
A spokesperson for Aramark says the company respects workers' right to protest and is still in active negotiations. Workers have filed multiple complaints against Aramark with the National Labor Relations Board over the last year, alleging unfair labor practices like intimidation of workers by management during the contract negotiations.
Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly stopped by the protest to lend his support.
He said even $19 an hour — which is what many of the workers make now — isn't a living wage for everyone. Especially if they have dependents or they don’t work year-round.
“Top 1% is as rich as it's ever been in our country, and people can’t afford a place to live, and they can’t afford their lives. It’s not their fault, they just don't make enough money,” he said.
Kelly wrote to Aramark on Thursday urging the company to cooperate with ongoing investigations and negotiate in good faith.
In March, workers at a Panda Express in downtown Phoenix, which is part of ASU’s campus, filed a complaint against Aramark with the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health over heat safety after employee Vanessa Martinez was hospitalized for dehydration.
“When you work for a place like Aramark that's such a big company, you know they have the money to fix that problem — they’re just not willing to,” Martinez said.
She said in the kitchen air-conditioning units weren’t working properly, which meant she and her coworkers had to work in 90- and 100-degree temperatures several times.
“I worked all summer, so that was horrible, and during a rush it can feel even worse,” she said.
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