Campus briefs

Bon Appetit negotiations continue

Bon Appetit employees voted against the renewal of a five-year employment contract last Thursday.

The contract had been modified after it was voted down in August.

Employees said they were content with the wage and pension increases, but many remained upset by the proposed health plan.

The union representative declined to comment on the contract negotiations.

Employees have relayed frustration and disappointment with the union representative, who takes employee concerns to the larger management company, Compass, and handles negotiations.

The current contract offered individual employees full coverage at no additional cost, while employees with one dependent paid an average of $220 per month from their check. They received $350 to cover co-payments.

The amount that employees pay for a family plan varies, but the average is $468 per month. They would receive an average of $400 annually.

"A lot of employees are young, have no family and don't get sick often, so those affected by the family plan are about 20 percent of us," said shop steward Flor Barrientos. "But it's up to us to fight for our rights."

For now, employees are not sure of what the proceedings will be.

In the meantime, they've looked to students for help, said representatives from the Labor Action Committee, a club under the empowerment division of the Santa Clara Community Action Program.

"It'd be great if we could get a law student to help us read and analyze the contract modifications and proposals," said Barrientos. "We've been told we can't hire an attorney because that's what the union representative is for. He receives salary from our paycheck deductions for union dues, but he doesn't represent us."

From staff reports. E-mail news@thesantaclara.com.