Editors’ Note: The Voice received this letter on February 5, 2013. Though it had originally been delivered to the Voice without attribution, the Voice has been contacted by the letter’s writer. In their interest, we publish this letter without the writer’s name, doing so only after we were able to confirm the source.

 

Dining Service Employees do not wish to be excluded from the

College family

 

With the decision of outsourcing looming within the next year, dining service employees are faced with anxiety and insecurity. While “promised” that no one will lose their job, many long-term employees wonder about loss of benefits connected with the College.

“Other than a means to support myself and my children, a major driving force behind my employment here has been the anticipation of tuition benefits for my children,” states one worried employee of many years.

Older employees are especially worried about starting over and about losing much needed medical insurance for their failing health.

Concerns continue over other benefits such as retirement, life insurance, vacation, holiday pay and sick time. How will all these change and will employees still have them? Even their scheduled times to work are subject to change, creating possible disruptions in family life.

Just last year, the College made strides to improve benefits such as health, dental and life insurance, as well as attempting to improve on pay scale deficiencies, while saving money for themselves and employees. Now just one year later, these improvements could all be lost for dining service employees.

Not only are benefits a concern, but also the possibility of losing management staff to a new corporation’s management.

Over the many years, employees have become family. Just like families, they have their ups and downs. They have seen multiple changes and have made compromises and adjustments. But these have been with the College family and with the people they have known for years and even decades. They do not wish to be “sold-out.”

President Cornwell is quoted as expressing that The College of Wooster is behind its peer institutions and that, “none of our peers in Ohio do it our way.” Are we followers or leaders? The College of Wooster is well known for independent thinking. Why not improve on what we have learned over the years of trial and error?

College dining services is presently ahead of the game in several areas, and is already striving to provide for special dietary needs in response to a rapid increase in food allergies, offering a wide variety of choices that many peer institutions lack. Staff is continually updated on current safety and sanitation practices, and the chef and management team work diligently to improve menus that students will enjoy. Will a new company make students a priority or offer such options?

Dining services have been the underdog on campus. They are the lowest on the pay scale and struggle year after year over summer and holiday breaks to keep enough hours to get by, and use up all their vacation time to make up lost hours. Meanwhile, many other, if not all, departments on campus continue to receive 40 hours a week year-round. Now dining services is first in line to be ejected from the College family. Where is the rationale? Why is dining services the first to be considered for outsourcing as a “means to cut cost” while tuition continues to rise?

College leaders, please understand the value of these workers to the overall mission of the College. How many departments will we let go until we become a motley crew of independent organizations; a house divided?

In closing, as a dining service employee and on behalf of my fellow employees, I wish to thank all of you College students who express and feel concern over our job security and benefits. Thank you! You are just another example of our close-knit College family which dining service workers wish to remain a part of.

– Anonymous

 

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.”

– Zora Neal Hurston