Labor leaders claim New Orleans school lunch provider is illegally pressuring workers to keep union out

It might put a bad taste in your mouth: A New Orleans schools?food service provider is being accused of union-busting. The Service Employees International Union Local 21 Louisiana filed three complaints Friday with the National Labor Review Board charging that Revolution Foods is illegally pressuring workers to keep the union out. Because of the complaints, the board decided Tuesday to indefinitely postpone an election to join SEIU that had been scheduled for Wednesday.

According to the filing documents provided by SEIU,?Revolution fired three workers for supporting the union, held a meeting promising workers higher wages if they stayed non-union, flew in top executives as an intimidation technique and surveilled employees who spoke with union reps.

The California-based Revolution is a recent addition in the New Orleans school food world. The company opened a production facility in Kenner this summer that employs 72 people to serve 17 schools.

"Revolution is going around telling a lot of workers not to vote for the union," said Joshua James, who said the company fired him because he was depicted in a flyer featuring pro-union workers that SEIU sent to management. "A lot of workers are terrified about losing their jobs."

The Recovery School District, which has oversight of most of New Orleans' public schools, contracts with Revolution to provide food at several of the district's non-chartered schools, including Benjamin Banneker and A. P. Tureaud elementaries. Several independent charters also use the company.

"The RSD expects the highest quality of services for all of our students. We will reach out to both parties to discuss the matter," spokeswoman Zoey Reed said in an email.

The other local school food service providers are Sodexo and Aramark, which are union shops at the K-12 level, and Chartwells, which is not, said SEIU organizer Helene O'Brien.

Sodexo ran into labor trouble locally in October 2010 when its food service workers at Tulane staged a one-day walkout to protest low wages. The following June, Sodexo was called before the National Labor Relations Board on charges of intimidating workers at both Loyola and Tulane from unionizing under SEIU.?

O'Brien said union leaders were disappointed in Revolution because they supported the company's emphasis on health. Revolution's website says it provides "real food," not junk food, and does not use artificial ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats. Revolution did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/12/revolution_foods_school_lunch.html

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