March 23, 2023
Dear Pitzer Community,
Social justice and activism represent a long and cherished element of Pitzer’s culture and community – and nowhere is this more true than in the recent advocacy by Student Senate, the Claremont Student-Worker Alliance, and members of our community for former employees of Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), our Dining management contractor.
We want to acknowledge the Student Senate resolution delivered on March 15. We contacted BAMCO for information about these employees and have been informed that BAMCO has reached out to them to offer new employment options.
As in any educational endeavor, it is also imperative to understand the facts, many of which have become, unfortunately, confused or conflated. Specifically:
- Pitzer did not employ the three individuals named in the current unfair labor practice (ULP) filings and did not terminate them, so could not “re”-hire them.
- Pitzer is not a joint employer. BAMCO is the employer of record responsible for hiring, managing, and all temporary/on-call Dining assignments, including for the three staff.
- Pitzer continually posts vacant and new positions, including in Dining, and we welcome all interested and qualified staff, including former BAMCO employees, to apply for them.
- The three previous ULP allegations filed in 2022 have been dismissed by the National Labor Relations Board. UNITE HERE Local 11 withdrew them last summer. There are no pending ULPs against Pitzer alone.
- Pitzer continues to make progress in our ongoing negotiations with UNITE HERE Local 11, including in arbitration hearings last week, and we will have more information to share once an agreement has been reached.
BAMCO staff members work in and with our campus community, and it’s in the nature of the community to care and to rally around them. I appreciate that, and it’s one of the reasons that many of us came to Pitzer. Likewise, we value the role civil disobedience has played both on our campus and across the country. At the same time we must assure that our community is safe for all and that our campus can continue to operate fully.
I am confident that the Pitzer community will critically listen, engage with one another, and examine all statements on these topics fairly. The College is motivated only to successfully reach agreement on a union contract that is in the best interests of all.
Provida Futuri,
Jill Klein P’15
Interim President
