Workers walk-out in protest

Five students walked off their jobs at Dascomb Monday, Nov. 23 in protest of the elimination of their jobs next semester.

The students, joined by about 10 other students, protested in Dascomb between 5:30 and 6:30 by marching around the dining area wearing signs and shouting slogans.

The five students who were affected by the cuts met with College officials Wednesday to discuss the conflict but reached no resolution. They plan to meet again Sunday night.

David Jenson, director of Campus Dining Service, said the two groups discussed their points of view at the Wednesday meeting. "We said we'd get back to them on Sunday," he said. Neither side seems very optimistic that the Sunday meeting will resolve the conflict.

Sophomore Libby Fleming, the spokesperson for the students, said the Wednesday meeting was unproductive. "They said they aren't giving us our jobs back," she said. "They didn't really seem to care what we had to say."

The dispute is rooted in the fact that CDS is trying to shift student jobs from Dascomb to Stevenson. According to Jenson, planners expected almost twice as many students to be eating dinner in Dascomb as are now. At the same time the dinnertime attendance at Stevenson is marginally higher than predicted: 927 instead of 890. Jenson said CDS is trying to shift workers to where they are needed most on campus.

Student protesters argue that the job cuts will increase the workload on other workers at Dascomb. "If one person were to do the job that two are doing now, they would be overworked," Fleming said.

Ty Moore, a member of the Student Worker Organizing Committee (SWOC), works in Stevenson. He agreed that sometimes there are not enough workers at Stevenson, but disagreed that the remedy was to move workers from Dascomb. "You have to ask why the available jobs haven't been filled. Why are they such unpleasing jobs?" he said.

The students were also unhappy with the lack of communication about the elimination of the jobs. Students found out about the cuts when they went to sign up for jobs next semester. Fleming said some students tried to talk to managers about the cuts but got no response.

"They didn't mention to us that they were taking away jobs, so we took away our work," Fleming said.

While the lack of a formal communication structure is one complaint of student workers, CDS does have a grievance process, according to their student employee handbook. The procedure states that "every student employee has the right to make a problem or complaint known without fear of reprisal."

Yeworkwha Belachew (YB), director of Residential Life and Services, said she has never had to deal with a grievance. She said that while it is too bad the protest happened, it did highlight the need for better communication, something she is grateful for.

In light of the protest Residential Life and Services is hoping to set up an advisory committee to improve communication between students and their employers.

Fleming and other SWOC members see the committee as a tool to diffuse a unionization drive. "It is a way to block a unionization drive," she said.

Monday's protest, despite being designed to disrupt service to diners, did little more than annoy and entertain the approximately 40 students who were eating dinner at the time.

The protest started quietly with the group, wearing placards reading "No Jobs, No Peace" and other slogans, marching around the dining hall. "We need to shout something," one protester said to another.

So the students began to chant slogans as they walked, including, "Hey Oberlin what do you say? How many jobs did you cut today?" The students also went from table to table getting signatures of support from diners.

Most students eating at Dascomb were pretty critical of the protest. "It's ridiculous," one student said. "Absolutely ridiculous. This kind of protest isn't going to win support for any cause."

College sophomore Evan Kelley said, "I feel for them and their families but they can collectively suck my dick."

The protesters' non-student coworkers had a fairly positive reactions to the protest. "I support them," Rance Turpin, who works at Talcott but came to Dascomb to see the protest, said. "The students and the part-timers need to have a union. Start one or join one that already exists."

"I think it's great. Because they have guts to stand up for what they think is right," said a part-time worker who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of her job. "We do almost everything and we just get paid low wages."

Elizabeth Baldwin, a college senior who has worked with CDS for four years, didn't participate in the walk-out. "I don't think it'll achieve anything," she said.

At about 6 p.m. two security officers arrived. Following soon after the officers were Jill Medina, the Area Coordinator for Dascomb, and another contingent from Security - including Director Keith James and Assistant Director Marjorie Burton - arrived.

The group conferred, consulting the rules and regulations in Fussers before trying to talk to the marching students.

James asked the students to stop and tried to discuss the situation with them. "I just want this issue resolved," James said, asking the students to explain why they were upset. James asked if the students would like to sit down and talk about the issue right away.

The students refused. "Today's our protest day. We'll talk tomorrow," said senior John Edmonds.

Since the protest most of the students have returned to work without incident. Two students who thought they had lost their jobs have since been informed by CDS that they are welcome back to work.

The protesters did, however, receive written warnings for the walk-out. After three warnings a student worker can be fired from CDS. "They could have protested in a way that didn't disrupt service," Jenson said. "They chose not to take that avenue."

The dispute made it to the pages of Monday's Elyria Chronical Telegram and, according to Fleming, may be in next Monday's Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"The reporter said he had to talk to some UAW people, and someone is coming out to take our picture," Fleming said. "It's fun."