Now, now Fritz.  You have got to be kidding.  You actually think their
problems are the same as yours?  Why don't you take a look at their
paycheck, tenure status, and benefit package just for starters? I cannot
remember the last time I heard the Aramark contract employees complain on
raven about the "disrespectful treatment" they receive as an employee of
UTC.  Oh yea, they can't.  Know when to look around and count your
blessings.        

-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Fritz Efaw
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 4:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] UC dining staff

Ed,
Thank you for adding to this discussion something that is helpful and that
makes sense, instead of more complaining.

I've made an effort to get to know the manager, Xavier, and many of the
Aramark employees.  Like you, I find the majority of them helpful and
friendly.  They remember me and they ask about my daughter who is around
only two or three weeks during the year.  If they were employed by UT
instead of being out-sourced, I'd be trying to organize them in UCW.  Their
problems are, at the end of the day, the same as ours -- low pay,
disrespectful treatment, and, as a consequence, low morale.  Exactly as you
describe.

Fritz.

At 12:53 PM 9/21/2005 -0400, Ed Smith wrote:
>This must be a significant problem since I have been on the verge of
>mentioning it as well. Not to mention the inconvenience of them ALWAYS
>being out of something, be it ketchup, forks, chicken, ice, or whatever.
>I am not sure they work from a developed schedule that predicts when
>things are likely to need replacement or refill. It doesn't seem like it
>anyway. I have definitely observed them engaged in routine maintenance
>tasks that could be done anytime during peak hours. That, in my mind, is
>most likely about management, not about the individuals.
>
>However, I have hesitated to complain because, for a significant number
>of the employees, just the opposite is true. They are friendly, helpful
>and pleasant in general. My speculation is that the surly attitude may
>be a reflection of the morale as is so often the case. And morale is too
>often the product of poor working conditions (ie; salary) and management
>style. If the latter is the case, I am concerned that the negative
>feedback will be dealt with by a response that is likely to not
>discriminate between the surly majority and the very friendly minority,
>and that it will represent "more of the same" which will just make the
>problem (morale) worse anyway.