Seventy-five sign-wielding members of the Local 171 branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees protested the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery privatization of food service employment outside the WID yesterday.
""We're just calling attention to the fact that we're serious about this fight,"" Local 171 Steward Anne Habel said.
Habel, a dishwasher at UW-Madison, said the picket was in response to WID changing its mind on employing union workers.
According to Habel, the WID told Local 171 that the institute would seek unionized employment, only to recently change its position and opt to privatize food services.
According to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the organization held discussions with Wisconsin Union Food Services about the unit employing the food venues, but legal and financial issues ended the conversation.
The organization said they then sent vendor solicitation proposals to 13 organizations, including three with unionized workers, but the three units did not respond.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said WID disrespects the relationship between the public and unions, because WID has a $50 million partnership with the state yet are not supporting unions.
""The fact that they're not willing to recognize that is a sad sign,"" said Pocan. ""It sets a terrible precedent.""
The statewide unions, as well as several community groups endorse the Local 171 cause. Among these is the Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC), whose members participated in Monday's protest.
""The SLAC has developed a really good relationship with the Local 171,"" said SLAC member Daniel Cox. ""As students, how our university treats its campus workers truly matters to us.""
Pocan said the university itself was very supportive, and the move to privatize came from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
Cox, however, said that the university affiliation is very apparent.
""The university needs to speak with [WARF],"" Cox said. ""Anyone who supports well-paying jobs on campus needs to stand up right now. This is about people's livelihood.""
Although WARF privatized the food services, the organization said the institute will create union jobs in other departments.
According to protestors, several construction workers at the site refused to cross the picket line to get to work and left the construction site for the day. The remaining workers declined to comment.
Following the picket, Habel says the Local 171 and its supporters will play the next step by ear.
""We'll see what their response is to this, and then take it from there,"" said Habel.
