University of Virginia Library

Food Service Employees Air
Work Condition Discontent

By LYNN STERN

In a meeting Thursday
night for Food Service
employees, Bob Gershenfeld,
Food Services asst. cafeteria
manager, presented grievances
summarizing common
complaints resulting in
widespread employee
dissatisfaction.

The large crowd provided
abundant testimony to the
abuses named by Mr.
Gershenfeld and revealed
tremendous bitterness from
student managers and
supervisors who must deal with
University officials.

Mr. Gershenfeld described
16 issues directly relating to
the quality of employee
service. The point evoking the
most bitterness was his
contention that severe
indiscriminate cuts were made
student employee working
schedules without regard to the
effect on employee morale or
necessary number of
employees. An example of this
was presented by dishroom
supervisor Rick Cold whose
crew was cut from a skeletal 12
to 6 after Mr. Fontana decide a
cutback was needed.

Not Refilled

Mr. Gershenfeld revealed that
in addition to cutbacks, old
positions are not refilled as
vacancies are created. Student
managers complete personnel
replacement forms, but
Lambeth House claims no one
is available for the positions.

He also pointed out that
students must increase their
work loads to compensate for
the shortage of employees
without an increase in wages.
In addition, no raises in pay
have been granted since last
summer, despite promises of
forthcoming increases. Wages
are presently $1.66 per hour
for servers.

Serving Line

Complaints were made that
workers are taken from the
serving line to relieve the
shortage of workers in food
production without replacing
the servers.

Mr. Gershenfeld also noted
that supervisors are burdened
with non-supervisory tasks to
compensate for the lack of
employees in serving. As a
result, they are unable to
supervise the line, take care of
public relations and customer
complaints, enforce rules and
maintain correct procedure.

According to Mr.
Gershenfeld, the responsibility
previously executed by
managers and supervisors has
depleted tremendously. They
no longer possess keys to the
cafeteria doors, hold the
combination to the safe, a
full-time manager is now on
duty while they are working
and a relief manager was hired.
As a result, they no longer
serve any function.

Food Service officials have
incurred a deep credibility gap,
Mr. Gershenfeld contends.
Lambeth House, Food Service
headquarters, supplies different
student supervisors and
managers with varying
information.

Lambeth House has
attempted to cause friction
between full-time and
part-time employees by telling
full-time workers that students
want their jobs, Mr. Gershenfeld
said.

He also stated that incident
reports are used as a method of
punishment against student
workers.

Students Agree

While students agree to the
necessity of a dress code for
sanitary reasons, Mr. Gershenfeld
said, regulations governing the
present code are
discriminatory. Men are
supplied with gold coats which
are cleaned by Food Services
and full-time employees are
provided with uniforms which
are also maintained and and
stored for them. However,
female part-time workers must
purchase and clean their own
uniforms and are not permitted
to wear gold coats.

Regulations concerning
drinking (water, soft drinks) on
the job are discriminatory, Mr.
Gershenfeld believes. Fullt-time
employees are permitted to
have refreshments during
working hours, but part-time
employees cannot drink,
although the air temperature
sometime reaches 110 degrees
behind the food heaters.