Issues with Terrace workers require attention

The transition of the Terrace food court from the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (WLUSU) to private operator, Aramark, has been comprised of a rocky series of events. There is plenty of blame to go around with WLUSU and Aramark both holding responsibility for the issues.

First and foremost, the lack of communication between Aramark and student employees adds an additional layer of stress that students simply don’t need. These issues should have been addressed early in the summer before the school year began, ensuring that the transition phase was largely complete when fall arrived.

The fact that students have not been initially employed in Spring Rolls is another unfortunate sticking point. While it’s understandable that the nature of the business is different, this could also have been addressed with adequate foresight — completing the project earlier and bringing students in sooner to get trained at the new business.

While WLUSU’s agreement with Aramark stipulates that 75 per cent of the workers must be students, WLUSU cannot yet confirm whether Aramark is meeting that. This needs to be rectified immediately. Students were promised that the shift to Aramark would be beneficial to them — they deserve to know the full details of the transition.

Workers are now considering unionization. Without an improvement in communication and a better relationship with Aramark, they would be fully justified in seeking that support.

Even though WLUSU is not directly overseeing the Terrace anymore, they need to demonstrate that they still support student workers and provide assistance to Aramark in whatever capacity they require.

—The Cord Editorial Board