PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Food service and hospitality workers for Aramark are inching closer to authorizing a strike. They held a rally Monday at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex to bring attention to their ongoing contract negotiations.
Workers with Unite Here Local 274 rallied at the corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. Hundreds of them work inside Citizens Bank Park, the Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field, serving fans on game days.
“One of our biggest points is health care,” said Carlton Epps, a trustee for the union. “I work in all three buildings — probably close to 90% of the events between all three buildings. And the citizens of Pennsylvania subsidize my health care because Aramark doesn’t care.”
In addition to a year-round health care option, the union is also fighting for better wages and a master contract for employees who work in the three venues, like Epps.
“You work in one building, you get paid one thing. The next building, you get paid [differently] — and it’s the same job,” he noted.
Epps said it’s been a couple of weeks since the union met with Aramark at the bargaining table. A strike authorization vote among members is on the horizon.
“Workers that work all three buildings deserve health care,” echoed union member Samantha Spector. “It’s a full-time job. When you work all three buildings, it doesn’t make it seasonal anymore.
“We make their business. If we all walk out tomorrow, who’s going to cook the food? Who’s going to serve the food?”
In a statement, an Aramark spokesperson said, “We respect the right of our employees to demonstrate and look forward to continuing to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement that works for everyone.”