Pomona College and UNITE HERE Local 11, the union representing the college’s dining service employees, began negotiations on Sept. 8 for a new collective bargaining agreement. The previous contract expired in June.
A focal point of this bargaining cycle is an increase in wages for dining service employees.
Pomona’s “Dining Union Negotiations” website states that wages for dining service employees currently average about $28.21 per hour, with a minimum wage of $26.50.
Elias Pluecker PO ’28, a student organizer for UNITE HERE and a member of the Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA), said many employees are struggling to make ends meet and often commute from far away because they cannot afford to live closer to the college.
“Inflation here is ridiculous, the cost of living here is ridiculous,” he said. “What they’re getting now is not cutting it.”
The union has asked for an $11 increase in wages for employees over the next two years, according to Pluecker.
Alejandra Gayton, chief human resources officer at Pomona, said the college’s wages are “industry leading” when compared to other higher education institutions.
“I think it’s important to know where we are right now,” she said. “Over the last two contracts, most of our dining employees have received wage increases of at least 60%. Some of the positions got increases of over 70%.”
Pomona first reached out to UNITE HERE to begin negotiations in April. UNITE HERE did not respond to Pomona’s offer until August.
“We don’t operate by the college’s schedule; we operate by the union’s schedule,” Noel Rodriguez, organizing director at UNITE HERE, said. He noted that many workers, particularly student workers, are often gone over the summer and cannot participate in the bargaining process.
On Sept. 17, the union filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge against Pomona, alleging the college was “discriminating against employee(s) engaged in protected, concerted activity,” according to a copy of the charge obtained by TSL.
“The College is aware of the unfair labor practice charge recently filed by the Union with the National Labor Relations Board,” a Pomona spokesperson said. “The filing of a charge represents an allegation, which the College unequivocally denies.”
“The College is aware of the unfair labor practice charge recently filed by the Union with the National Labor Relations Board,” a Pomona spokesperson said. “The filing of a charge represents an allegation, which the College unequivocally denies.”
Luis Martinez, a cook at Frank Dining Hall and union leader, said he received two warnings from the college for discussing union matters at work.
“We have the right to talk to workers about the union inside the workplace,” Martinez said.
He said he now has to stay quiet for fear of a third warning, which would put him at risk of termination.
“It’s a crime for any employer to conduct surveillance of workers engaged in union activity,” Rodriguez said. “It’s illegal for them to interrogate workers about their union activity. It’s illegal to threaten or to discipline workers for engaging in union activity. And here, they did all of those things at least twice.”
The Pomona spokesperson said the college does not discipline employees for engaging in protected union activities, which include discussing union matters. The spokesperson noted, however, that interruptions that disrupt employees’ work or operations are not considered protected.
Last winter, Rolando “Rolo” Araiza, a long-time cook and union leader at Frary Dining Hall, was fired by the College, leading to student protests. His case remains in arbitration.
“I feel they’re doing the same thing with any person that talks about the union,” Martinez said. “As union leaders, they target it more. They’re micromanaging, looking at little, little things just to discipline you.”
Martinez presented the ULP at a Sept. 21 delegation at Alexander Hall, which hosts the college’s administrative staff.
At the delegation, dining service employees, Milk & Honey student workers and union representatives presented a list of demands including an end to retaliation by the college for union activity, pay for employees’ time spent at negotiations and the immediate reopening of student-run boba shop Milk & Honey.
Compensation for employees’ time spent at negotiations has been standard practice in previous bargaining cycles between the college and the union, according to Pluecker and Rodriguez. In this cycle, however, the college has not paid employees for hours spent at negotiations.
“It’s a unilateral change,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been the practice for really ever since we became a union … I mean, this is the problem, right? They want to close down Milk & Honey, they want to change past practice, they want to go after workers, discipline workers for protected union activity. I think we’re dealing with an administration that is ignorant or power hungry.”
Rodriguez noted that filing a ULP legally allows for a strike and that “everything is on the table.”
He said the union will give Pomona the chance to address these grievances before it considers filing additional ULPs.
“We’re coming to the table from a strong competitive starting point, but at the same time, we are listening to our employees’ concerns, and we are really committed to negotiating in good faith with the union,” Gayton said.
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