School Custodians Say ‘No’ to Aramark

April 23, 2008

DON’T RE-HIRE ARAMARK! – Members of Connecticut Council 4 demonstrate April 14 against plans by the New Haven Public Schools to continue to contract out maintenance and food services, which privateer Aramark has been performing poorly for more than a decade.

Photo Credit: Stan Godlewski

About 200 protesters – members of Connecticut Council 4 and their supporters – demanded at an April 14 rally that the New Haven school system stop contracting out work that has been outsourced to privateer Aramark for the last 12 years.

 Council 4, which represents New Haven public service workers, including some 400 public school custodians, paraprofessionals and security guards, is letting the public know that privatization puts profits ahead of service, and points to Aramark’s mismanagement of food service and facility maintenance at the New Haven Public Schools.

At the City Hall rally, council members joined students and parents to demonstrate their opposition as well as pressure the school board to bring the work in-house. Aramark’s two contracts to provide maintenance and food services will expire in July, and the school system is considering new bids.

Robert Montuori, president of Local 287 (which represents about 200 school custodians), says re-hiring Aramark, or bringing in a new contractor, is the wrong choice:

“We don’t need an overpaid middle man to lead us down the path of destruction,” Montuori said at the rally.

Equally blunt in addressing the crowd was AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee, who announced a $20,000 contribution toward Council 4’s anti-Aramark campaign. He declared: 

 “We want to tell all the aldermen, and we want to tell the mayor … that it is their job to fire Aramark and get them the hell out of town.”

Council 4 Exec. Dir. Sal Luciano argues there is no justification for hiring a for-profit company to do work that public employees are better qualified to perform. Luciano, who is also an International vice president, explains:

“The math is tragically simple. High cost plus poor service equals Aramark. New Haven students and the community deserve better.”

To learn more about Council 4’s campaign to expel Aramark, check out this website, and watch a YouTube video of President McEntee’s remarks.