Human Rights Watch Calls on Sodexo's France Headquarters to Reign in US Operations' Treatment of Front Line Employees

New report reveals global food services giant ignores int'l labor agreements and violates US labor law

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, a new report "A Strange Case: Violations of Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinational Corporations," issued by Human Rights Watch highlighted European corporations including global food services giant Sodexo as carrying out an aggressive campaign to keep American workers from organizing and collective bargaining rights as well as violating international standards and U.S. labor law.

Specifically Sodexo was found to have threatened, interrogated, and fired workers who tried to form a union. Even though Sodexo is a self-proclaimed "progressive" company, the report asserts that Sodexo takes advantage of weaker US labor laws than exist in their home country of France.

Currently, Sodexo workers across the United States continue their efforts to form a union in order to win fair and safe working conditions, respect and dignity on the job, and a voice with their employer to create stable, good jobs with fair compensation and affordable health benefits.

Human Rights Watch, an independent organization dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, conducted employee interviews and compiled documents from legal proceedings to come up with their findings.

Recommendations from the report include, "stronger oversight by European headquarters of US managers' practices; stronger standards-setting and complaint mechanisms by international organizations…and stronger action by European governments and the European Union to require adherence to international standards by European firms."

Background:

Despite making more than a billion dollars profit in 2009, and being the 22nd largest corporation in the world, Sodexo pays its workers in the United States as little as $7.50 an hour and does not offer affordable health care options to its food service and similar employees. Two-thirds of Sodexo's non-managerial employees in the United States do not have coverage under the medical insurance plans offered by the company.

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers—not just corporations and CEOs—benefit from today's global economy.

SOURCE Service Employees International Union

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