Students fast in support of food workers

Supporters of the dining workers gather in the North Plaza with signs on Thursday afternoon (Peter Flint). 

UPDATE 9:05 p.m. Fast ends

About a dozen Mason students are fasting today in support of campus food service workers’ unionization efforts against campus food contractor Sodexo.

The fast began at sundown Wednesday and organizers plan for it to conclude at sundown today with a fast-breaking meal of bread in the Johnson Center at 6:30 p.m., according to student participant Emily Miles.

Miles expects workers to join the fasting students in the Johnson Center tonight, but said no workers are participating in the fast.

The fast was organized by George Mason University Students for Workers Rights, the same group that delivered a letter to President Merten last month asking him to terminate the university’s contract with Sodexo.

After being lobbied by the students and after several other demonstrations on campus last month, the university said the Office of Internal Audit and Management Services would look into individual worker claims and analyze the competitiveness of workers’ wages and benefits.

Miles said the goal of the fast is to create awareness of the conditions and wages the food workers claim are unfair.

“Under Sodexo, workers don’t have enough money to put food on the table,” Miles said.
 
UPDATE 9:05 p.m. Fast ends

Five of the students who fasted gathered outside of the Johnson Center at sundown. The students were joined by workers and broke bread together to officially end the fast.

Although Sodexo workers didn’t participate in the fast, the students said the fast showed solidarity with the workers.

“We're workers. not slaves,” said Eduarda Ponce, a Sodexo worker for six years. According to Ponce, Sodexo workers “don’t have medical benefits and are not treated fairly.”

Student organizers said there were around 40 participants throughout the day in the picket lines. Connect2Mason did not gather its own count.

Ponce was pleased to the student support, “very grateful students are helping,” said Ponce.
 

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