The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Penny Jennewein, (858) 334-9030, pennyj@sas.upenn.edu

Alliance of Penn Workers, Students Win Union Recognition for Penn Dining Workers

PHILADELPHIA

Earlier this morning the remaining non-unionized dining hall workers at Penn won union recognition after a card check with Bon Appetit Management Company. This victory comes after months of intensive organizing by workers and Penn students involved in the Penn Student Labor Action Project.

Today's victory is the product of a unique partnership between students and dining hall workers who have come together to demand change on their campus and in their workplace. Using creative tactics and building strong relationships, Penn students and workers built a strong alliance that enabled this victory.

"What has happened today shows that worker and student power is built through relationships, community-building, and a shared vision of a better future" said Eliana Machefsky, a senior at Penn and organizer in the Penn Student Labor Action Project. "When students and workers stand together, real power is built."

This comes as the second round of union recognition this year. In the spring semester, students in the Penn Student Labor Action Project worked alongside members of the Falk Dining Commons as they went public with their concerns about the workplace and then unanimously voted for union recognition by Teamsters Local 929 last April. The card check this morning formalized Teamsters Local 929 as the union representation for the latest round of workers as well.

Penn Student Labor Action Project is a student-worker collective that strives for the transformation of our community and material conditions to create a better reality.