On March 17, 2020, it was announced that the Bon Appetit Management Company will lay off over 100 Penn workers without paying them through the rest of the semester. Workers are still confused about their personal situations as the company has not clearly communicated logistics to workers. On the 16th, the day before this announcement, workers were also told to stay home by management without being outright told they were laid off.

Bon Appetit, owned by Compass Management Group, is subcontracted by Penn to provide dining services to the University community through retail dining locations such as Houston Market, Pret-A-Manger, Falk Dining Cafe, and Joe’s Cafe. Dining workers hired directly by Penn (Penn Dining), who run the all-you-care-to-eat dining halls such as 1920s Commons, are continuing to receive salaries and benefits.

Additionally, the workers have to pay several hundred dollars every week to maintain their health benefits and are still being held responsible for these payments, via debt to Bon Appetit. As a result, they will begin next semester receiving zero dollar paychecks until they pay off these exorbitant debts. One worker calculated that she will not make money in a single paycheck for the entire Fall semester due to this debt. It is outrageous that the fired workers are being pushed into debt over health benefits from lost jobs due to a worldwide health crisis.  

At a time where solidarity and financial security is needed more than ever, these workers are being absolutely failed by their employers. Bon Appetit should not have laid off their workers without continuing to pay them a salary, and Penn cannot stand by as workers integral to making the University run experience undue financial hardship, especially in times of crisis. Although these are subcontracted workers employed by Bon Appetit, Penn must be held accountable for the actions of a company they are closely affiliated with, and chose to contract.

In response, Jobs with Justice, Penn’s Student Labor Action Project, and other Penn students have created this fund to help Bon Appetit workers lessen the financial, mental, and health difficulties that come from being laid off. Workers deserve dignity and rights, and now more than ever in a time of global crisis and uncertainty.