 "Photo: Michael Furman")
Activist students held a mock funeral procession last Tuesday to raise consciousness and possibly get DU involved in the continuing controversy between food employees and Sodexo, which provides food services to the campus.
According to organizers of the funeral, the casket symbolized “the death of worker justice at DU.”
About 75 people attended, most were Sodexo workers and their families.
However, not all DU Sodexo workers support the unionization effort. In one of the comments posted at www.DUClarion.com in a response to an earlier story, anonymous postings said that the union wants “our money,” while others say Sodexo pays fair wages.
The protest began on Driscoll Green and continued across Evans Avenue, carrying a casket, to the corner of Evans and University Boulevard, where the group proceeded in front of the Margery Reed Building for a eulogy.
Brother David Garner, a DU alumnus and monk at St. Benedict in Denver, proceeded over the mock funeral and read the mission and ethics statements of each of DU’s schools, adding that they were “buried today.”
Chris Nevitt, who represents District 7 on the Denver City Council, delivered the eulogy and said he did not think justice on campus was dead.
“Maybe they [DU and Sodexo] don’t know what’s happening,” he said. “ They’re just sleeping. Our job is to wake them up.
Junior Dillon Doyle, who lead the protest, and Sodexo worker Diana Soto, who works in Nelson Hall, also spoke.
Sodexo is the 22nd largest employer in the world and currently faces 12 unfair labor practices filed by the Service Employees International Union and the Federal government.
57 comments
please No Union for Sodexo, we are happy working in this company and no need people like Diana in this company.
Diana: who you do think you are singing SI SE PUEDE in that protest with couple employees and some students?
they don`t even know us.
leave us alone,and if you don`t like working with us just quit and keep working for the union.
Here a lot of people have been complaining, for some think that you have been threatened and intimidated, so for all of them and for you how we can take your: “We are not going to stop those protest against Sodexo Unfair.” is not this a threat if you feel that sodexo is unfair and you believe in the unionization, is not better for you to get a full time job in the union, and leave the ones that do not believe in the unionization work in peace
We are not going to stop those protest against Sodexo Unfair.
thanks for all your support .
why Dillon who thinks is the most important person at DU don`t try to do an election and the employees can vote and stop with all these problems we have since they start this stupid union that me and almost all of my coworkers think.
DIllon and Diana leave us alone.we don`t need you.
Diana go to work.and Dillon go to class.
since when is right to put your own beliefs as a company issues,
since when is right to push the other in order to achieve your personal beliefsput you money where you mouth is !!!!!!!!!!!!!If you dont like or are not agree with the company policies and procedures of where you are working for..... but the mayority of the others peers are or seem to be ok........ where you right of stand up for your own beliefs start it and where the right of have or keep a fair pace to work endunderstand and accept our limites, it is call moral and ethic, nor anti and pro union have been showing it.
Maybe we can do an election and see who wants the union and stop all this comments and protests against the company,all this is bad for all of us.
PLEASE LETS DO AN ELECTION NOW AND SEE WHAT HAPPEN.
why you were working for long time in that company if you says it`s so bad and the benefits are not good?maybe that`s why you quit,no?and this is for Diana Soto:why you don`t follow that person and quit too. If you are not happy in that company,there are more companies to work for.
leave the others employees work and choose what they want don`t push them.
and for Dillon:stop those protest, they are not good for DU and leave the workers alone they don`t need you.
why you don`t stop those protest and leave those workers solve their problems alone?i can`t see too many workers in the protest.i live in Nelson Halls and usually talked to the cafeteria employees and they told me they don`t want the union because they only want to get a fee from them and they are happy with the company,so why you don`t go and talked to them too,like i did and you going to find you are wrong.
let them alone,if they want the union they going to join them and if they don`t want leave them alone.
i don`t understand what happened here but i don`t like this fight and the protest they did last week.
i usually eat in Nelson or Centennial halls and the food is good and i don`t see unhappy workers.so why nobody ask them what they want.this kind of protest and personal fights have to stop for a better life on campus.