Protesters arrested while picketing Aramark headquarters in Philadelphia; demand better wages and better health benefits

Union members working for Aramark at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex led a “civil disobedience” protest downtown Wednesday afternoon, with at least 45 participants arrested while disrupting rush hour traffic to draw attention to their months-long struggle to secure new contracts with better pay and health benefits.

Around 4 p.m., several hundred members of Unite Here Local 274 gathered outside Aramark's headquarters at 2400 Market St. with a giant inflatable “fat cat” smoking a cigar and marched through the area in chanting and holding signs reading: “Aramark is unfair. Equal treatment now! » They were joined by protesters from other cities, including Boston, New York and Washington, DC.

Protesters then moved to the street and sat in the middle of the Market Street Bridge, where police issued three warnings telling them they risked arrest. After the final warning at around 5:30 p.m., the police slowly and orderly made their first arrest and began evacuating the protesters.

Around 50 participants had planned their arrest on Wednesday, which was signified by black cloth tied to their arms to indicate they were ready to be taken into custody. Officers at the protest noted that a violation for blocking traffic would likely result in a citation.

An Aramark spokesperson issued a statement in response to the protest.

“We respect the right of our employees to demonstrate. We have had several meetings with the negotiating committee with the goal of reaching a new agreement, and we intend to continue working towards a settlement that suits everyone,” said Chris Collom, vice-president of the corporate communications. “We will continue to focus on providing an exceptional fan experience for our customers and would like to thank our dedicated employees across the organization for their support of our ongoing contingency plans.”

Aramark workers represented by Unite Here Local 274 have picketed and staged strikes against the company's treatment of employees in recent months.

In March, for example, food service workers at Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park picketed the Wells Fargo Center to demand a standard minimum wage and health benefits for workers. hundreds of local employees.

At the time, the union proposed that any member working 750 hours a year at all three locations would be eligible for year-round health insurance. Aramark responded with a minimum of 1,500 hours, Unite Here organizers said.

In April, Aramark food workers staged a four-day strike against the company during Sixers games at the Wells Fargo Center. During one game, about 100 picketers marched along Broad Street near the arena, holding signs reading: “On Strike!” Do not patronize Aramark.

Tiffani Davis, one of the workers who planned to be arrested Wednesday, said she was protesting so future employees wouldn't have to.

Davis, 31, who works in dealerships, financially supports his uncle who has lung cancer. “We fear running out of time with our children. We worry about our bills, we worry about all these different things,” Davis said. “Why do we have to worry about these things when we work for a billion dollar company? »

Samantha Spector, who works multiple jobs at all three sports venues, including as a club attendant and concessions bartender, said she struggles to pay for her own health care in addition to supporting her 2-year-old daughter. 9 years as a single mother.

“I feel good,” Spector said of his decision to get arrested. “People from other cities came here to support us. Other Aramark workers are experiencing the same thing as us. Aramark is a billion dollar company and can afford to pay its workers a living wage and [provide them with] health care,” she said.

Spector said she hopes to return for another strike.

Aramark hadn't said anything to union members before Wednesday's protest, she said. If contract demands are not met after this protest, she said, the union will continue the strike.

“You don’t know how much power you can gain unless you defend yourself,” Davis said.

The union's contracts with Aramark expired on March 17 for workers at Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field, and at the end of March for workers at Citizens Bank Park. Negotiations for affected members began in December.

Unite Here Local 274 said it is fighting for wage increases and health benefits that will support families, seeking a standard minimum wage and a health care program for hundreds of Aramark employees at Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.

Many Unite Here members work at two or three locations, but the company has three different contracts with the workers' union.

Fewer than 20 of the hundreds of workers at Aramark's Wells Fargo Center have year-round health insurance, the union said. About 210 people are eligible for prescription and doctor visit coverage for a partial year, but not hospital emergency care.

Aramark employs approximately 8,000 workers in the region. But it manages entertainment venues across the world, with more than 260,000 employees in divisions including food services and facilities management.

After seeing its profitability impacted during the first two years of the pandemic, Aramark rebounded and posted significant revenue growth. The company reported revenue of more than $18.8 billion, as well as net income of $673 million, in the fiscal year ended September.

The union said food service workers at the South Philadelphia sports complex earn significantly less than those in other major cities. For example, the union said, food service workers at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and the United Center in Chicago earn $21.50 and $21.55 an hour, respectively. Their counterparts at the Wells Fargo Center earn $14.11 an hour.

Likewise, the union said, employees who work at least 910 hours per year between the United Center and Wrigley Field in Chicago are eligible for free health insurance year-round. Only a few Aramark employees at the sports complex are eligible for employer-sponsored health care, despite the fact that hundreds of them work for Aramark year-round.

Eligibility for health benefits for year-round workers remains a key sticking point in contract negotiations between the union and Aramark, the union said.