Dozens of lawmakers back Senate cafeteria union drive

[Omaha Steve]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/11/13/dozens-of-lawmakers-back-senate-cafeteria-union-drive.html

Harry Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders sign open letter asking management to allow unionization by majority vote
November 13, 2015 1:30PM ET

by Ned Resnikoff

After months of publicly demanding union recognition, the people who serve U.S. senators their crab cakes and curry spiced salmon have won the support of some of their most powerful customers.

On Friday, 33 members of the Democratic caucus — representing 75 percent of all Democrats in the Senate — issued an open letter to the CEO of Compass Group, asking that it grant union recognition if a majority of Senate cafeteria employees express a desire to unionize. Compass Group, a private firm based in the United Kingdom, manages the Senate cafeteria through its subsidiary, Restaurant Associates.

“The time has come for the Compass Group to ensure Senate cafeteria workers have a model employer that addresses its workers’ legitimate concerns,” said the letter, which was signed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of Vermont, among others. “We request therefore that the Compass Group commit to reaching an agreement with the union seeking to organize these workers."

Such an agreement, the senators said, must require that the company “recognize the union as the worker’s exclusive bargaining representative on the basis of a majority representation of signed authorization cards."

FULL story at link.