MEDIA ADVISORY

Contacts: Victoria Capraro. 720.425.5244 victoria.capraro@gmail.com and alternately Morgan Raspanti 201.316.4558 raspm659@newschool.edu

24-hour Occupation of The New School Cafeteria

STILL UNDERWAY

Students and Workers Demand: Every Job Saved!

 Tues. May 8, picketline in front of 63 5th Ave.,

10am – 3pm

Hosted by SENS-UAW

Student Employees at The New School

Academic student workers are on strike until The New School starts bargaining fairly over economics.
 

On May 1, 2018, students at The New School occupied the University Center cafeteria in response to the mass layoffs of the cafeteria workers. As of 11:30am today, May 7th, the occupation has been ongoing for 144 hours, with more than 50 students staying overnight in support of the workers.

In March 2018, The New School administration announced the mass layoffs of unionized UNITE HERE Local 100 cafeteria workers. In official communication, the administration justified the layoffs on the basis of providing higher quality food through a new food service provider. But in private, Steven Stabile, Vice President for Finance and Business and Treasurer at the New School, has said the real problem is the union. Amidst this change, The New School encouraged workers to re-apply for the same jobs, but workers have no guarantee that they will be rehired.

New School Vice President of Labor Relations, Keila Tennent-DeCoteau, announced that the university does not expect to rehire the majority of the workforce under this new contract, ultimately breaking up the union. If all of the workers were to be rehired, they would remain unionized. The administration has proposed that some of the jobs will be replaced with cheap student labor, in an attempt to pit the students against the cafeteria workers by making them compete directly for low-wage work.

Many of the cafeteria workers have been with the New School for over a decade.  If these changes go through as planned, they will not only be losing their jobs, but their pensions, health care, and any certainty about their futures.

In solidarity with the cafeteria workers, the Communist Student Group has organized an occupation of the cafeteria until all demands are met. We demand:

1. Every worker must be able to keep their position in the cafeteria.
2. Workers must receive higher wages.
3. The workers must retain their benefits and pensions.
4. Tuition vouchers must be provided for the workers and their families.
5. We demand the resignation of the Head Chef (and serial sexual predator), Brian DuHart.

6. We demand the resignation of New School Treasurer, Steve Stabile.

7. We demand worker-student control of the management of the cafeteria in perpetuity.

8. We demand full reimbursement for all workers’ salaries withheld due to the occupation.

The New School brands itself as a progressive, forward-thinking institution, but the mass layoff of workers—especially workers of color, exposes the University’s blatant hypocrisy. In fact, the University’s corporate approach to managing a nonprofit educational institution will put many of these workers and their families in a precarious situation. In a time when communities of color are under increased attack by the federal government, we call on the New School administration to meet the demands of these workers and their families.

We, the student body of The New School, are dedicated to remaining militant and holding this occupation in solidarity with the workers until Steve Stabile and the New School administration come to the cafeteria and meet the demands of the workers. We call on everyone to join in this struggle by calling the Office of The New School’s President, David Van Zandt, at (212) 229-5656. You can also tweet him @DavidVanZandt.

Cafeteria Location: 63 5th Avenue, 2nd floor

Follow the action through our hashtag: #occupyTNS

Website: New School Students and Workers United

Facebook Page: The Occupied New School Cafeteria

Twitter: @newschoolreds

Insta: @occupy_tns

Venmo: @Solidarity-4-Ever