Boycott to continue at U of C
CALGARY – AUPE members at the University of Calgary are continuing their voluntary boycott of Chartwells food outlets on campus.
Members of AUPE Local 052 launched the boycott in May 2005 after the private-sector company was hired by the university on April 29 to replace its in-house Food Services department.
The jobs of approximately 300 U of C Food Services workers were eliminated as a result of the decision to contract out their work. Full-time employees received severance of up to 12 months’ full pay and benefits under the terms of AUPE’s collective agreement with the employer.
At its September meeting, the Local 052 Council voted overwhelmingly to ask members to continue to boycott Chartwells outlets on campus.
“As members of the University of Calgary community, we have a duty to oppose the recent privatization of U of C food services and any further attempts at the privatization of services on this campus,” the Local 052 Anti-Privatization/Political Action Committee said in a statement.
The Committee advised members to tell their co-workers and family members about what they are doing and why, and noted that the boycott does not extend to off-campus franchise companies that have Chartwells-operated outlets on campus.
The following U of C food retailers are run by Chartwells:
- Alberta Dining Room, 2nd Floor, Dining Centre
- Legacy’s, 1st Floor, Dining Centre
- Baron’s Court, Kinesiology
- Coyote Jack’s, Science B
- Club Medibles, Health Science
- First Cup, Social Sciences
- Upper Crust, Social Sciences
- The Big Pita, Murray Fraser Hall
- Wheat Street Deli, Education
- Scurfield Café, Scurfield Hall
- Tim Horton’s, MacEwan Student Centre
- Pizza Pizza, MacEwan Student Centre
- Taco Time, MacEwan Student Centre
The Committee noted that several on-campus food retailers in the MacEwan Centre and the ICT Building are not run by Chartwells. In addition, non-Chartwells food services are available at the Grad Lounge, the University Club and The Den.
In June, Local 052 and the university agreed to a protocol to ensure that the union is fully and properly consulted if the university ever again considers contracting out work.
That settlement came after two days of mediation, prompted by an AUPE grievance filed after the contracting-out decision was made by the university.
AUPE Local 052 represents approximately 2,800 U of C non-academic employees.