Support fair wages for Bon Appetit

By Editorial

Students donned red duct tape Xs across their stomachs, legs and t-shirts to show solidarity.

Pins saying "Support Workers" were passed to chanting crowd members as a banner reading "Demand a fair contract for Bon Appetit workers" hung overhead.

Since mid-August, Bon Appetit workers have been negotiating their five-year contract. This contract has been voted down repeatedly due to disagreements over health care and wages.

Labor Action Committee, a SCCAP group, has been a critical resource for the workers, and we commend their work and dedication.

"We have signs that say how many majors we have, the careers students go into, but who is there serving the people, making it possible?" Flor Barrientos, a representative for the workers, asked the assembly. "The workers, we should be part of the university."

We couldn't agree more.

The dichotomy between tuition and workers' hourly wages is startling. Bon Appetit workers may not be direct employees of the university, but they deserve to be paid the living wage they currently lack.

These workers also deserve a health care plan that will cover more than just a $200 co-pay. For workers with families, this is not enough for multiple visits a year.

We support the continued fight with the workers, and want to show our solidarity with them.

"We're a family in this university, and if we don't start fighting today, tomorrow's going to be harder," said Barrientos.

Barrientos asks for students to wear their pins in solidarity.

"We preach passion and equality in a Jesuit university," said Barrientos. "Where is that for our workers?"

While we are part of a Jesuit institution that teaches compassion, it is our duty to actualize this ideal.