At the university of Cincinnati, hourly workers contracted through Aramark have been told they will be laid off for at least three weeks without compensation--THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. These workers are the life blood of the daily operations of the university.

Though we only know of this happening to Aramark employees currently, we extend this petition to any worker who will lose wages from UC while the university is closed for COVID-19 precautions.

COVID-19 has already led to a massive destabilization of the economy. The working class has already made massive sacrifices in the past decade since the last recession, and they should not be forced to again bear the burden, especially as $1.5 trillion safety nets are extended to some the of biggest banks and corporations in America.

While salaried employees may be given the option to work from home, Aramark employees do not have this option, by no fault of their own. The university has it in the budget to pay for massive development projects on and around campus, bloated pay and bonuses for top administrators, and unprofitable sports programs, it has an endowment of $1.43 Billion--it should be able to afford to pay for a few weeks of pay for these workers!

Aramark is one of the largest food service, facilities, and uniform services in the world. It makes hundreds of millions in profits each year by exploiting their low paid workers while their CEO makes $16 million each year in total compensation--they can afford to extend paid leave for their hourly workers!

We are calling on President Neville Pinto to ensure that all contract employees receive paid leave equal to lost wages for the time that the university is closed!