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Supporting Tufts University students and Tufts Labor Coalition in their advocacy efforts promoting a healthy and supportive working environment for Tufts Dining workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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WHEREAS: Tufts Labor Coalition acknowledges that the COVID-19 Pandemic has changed all usual systems at Tufts Dining. Across Tufts Dining, operations are understaffed and people are overworked. On September 13, 2020 Tufts Dining (Management) released a statement in which they claim that delays and long wait-times for meals are due to staff being unfamiliar, and un-“accustomed to new service styles, procedures, and technology.” We want to make it clear that this statement is not true. Long wait times and delays are a result of Tufts University failing to equip its dining workers with adequate staff, training, and resources to feed up to 5,000+ people a day during a pandemic. As students, we are incredibly concerned about the conditions under which dining workers are being asked to do their jobs; and
WHEREAS: The following demands were crafted with students and Tufts Dining workers; and
WHEREAS: Across Tufts Dining, facilities are dangerously understaffed. We demand that Tufts expedite hiring processes for bargaining workers. We expect this hiring process to match the speed and urgency with which Tufts is hiring managers. Some positions have been vacant since April 2020, leaving Tufts Dining workers extremely understaffed and forced to work overtime. Under these conditions, workers are exhausted and unable to maintain a safe work environment; and
WHEREAS: Tufts Dining has created a new model system for take-out and pick-up in addition to social distance dining. It is unacceptable for Tufts to add more open hours and dining functions without hiring more staff to match this new demand. There is the same number of workers doing double the amount of jobs. We demand the new operating system to match the number and capacity of current Tufts Dining workers; and
WHEREAS: Tufts Dining workers and Management deliver food to both students in quarantine and sick with COVID-19. Workers express safety concerns when it comes to delivering food to these students. We demand that workers are given appropriate PPE, specific COVID-19 safety training, and assigned drop-off locations to enable appropriate social distancing; and
WHEREAS: As of right now, the dining workers’ contract does not have the appropriate language to address COVID-19 related sick time. We demand that Tufts ensures that appropriate sick time, family/medical leave, and health benefits are granted in contracts with all campus unions so that no worker has to choose between their financial well-being and the safety of our community; and
WHEREAS: It is important for everyone in the Tufts community to stay safe and healthy. We demand that Tufts University provides ALL employees, students, and faculty with adequate COVID-19 testing to ensure the health and safety of the entire Tufts community; and
WHEREAS: Not all Tufts Dining workers speak English as their primary language or have access to a phone to use Tufts Applications. We demand Tufts University invest in language translations for all COVID-19 related information on Tufts online applications in addition to providing offline (translated) forms or accessing this information; and
WHEREAS: We want to take a moment to thank all Tufts workers, specifically the dining workers, janitors, and facilities workers who are pushing themselves to their limits to make sure all Tufts students are safe and healthy. While we are grateful to the dining workers who are regularly pulling double shifts to make sure all students have enough to eat, we are extremely disappointed that Tufts University has put them in a position where they have to risk their health and safety to do their jobs well. We will not stand for this type of treatment of any Tufts worker; and
WHEREAS: Tufts Labor Coalition remains committed to building student-worker solidarity on and off-campus. We will maintain communication with workers and with the larger Tufts community about how these demands are or are not being met. We know that this is a difficult time and that many of us-students and workers alike-may be feeling uncertain about the coming months. However, Tufts Labor Coalition remains firm in our belief that when we feel the most powerless, having each other’s backs always makes us strong; NOW THEREFORE BE IT HEREBY
RESOLVED: That the Somerville City Council admires and supports all efforts by Tufts University Students and Tufts Labor Coalition as they advocate for the best possible working conditions for Tufts Dining workers; AND BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED: That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the President of Tufts University, Anthony Monaco and the Honorable Mayor of Medford, Breanna Lungo-Koehn.