Aramark has no clothes...

The Emperor cannot see the cloth himself, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position or stupid; his ministers do the same. ...they dress him in mime and the Emperor then marches in procession before his subjects. A child in the crowd calls out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others... (source)

In response to student concern, Aramark resorts to a hollow copy-and-paste campaign; with Aramark's arguments now debunked, students grow increasingly impatient with the corporation's "slow no" & plan to escalate action in coming months.

• Exclusive: SFA's point-by-point
  response to Aramark

February 9, 2010 - The game's up. As was done to the Emperor in the classic cautionary tale, it's time SFA called out Aramark. In recent months, company executives and local campus representatives have responded to the Dine with Dignity campaign by parroting a copied-and-pasted, misleading statement from corporate headquarters. The statement has been echoed to students at dozens of campuses from the University of Houston to the University of Florida; from St. Thomas in Miami to John Carrol in Ohio; from Florida Gulf Coast University to Georgetown; from St. Joseph's in Philadelphia to the University of Chicago, among others.

The statement — which is essentially identical each time we've seen it (in email correspondence from Aramark to students, in internal Aramark documents obtained by students from university administrators, and even when deployed as talking points to the media) — includes claims that Aramark "has been working with the [CIW] for some time." Nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.

What's even more insidious than this obvious public relations stunt and insult to our intelligence is the underlying plan it seems to reflect: Aramark looks to be pursuing a classic "slow no" strategy, attempting to string the CIW along in discussions that lead nowhere while claiming to be working toward a solution.

Now that Aramark's carefully-crafted garment has been shown to have no substance, what does the future hold? One thing's for sure: As the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Dine with Dignity campaign approaches, students are ready to escalate efforts to bring Aramark to the table.

As a result of its recent actions, Aramark now stands at a crossroads. It can continue down its current path, provoking protracted conflict and damage to its fragile brand image. Or it can work directly with the CIW, demonstrating real social responsibility and leadership in the effort to end Florida's "harvest of shame" — as Aramark competitors Bon Appetit and Compass are doing. Eventually, Aramark will have to do the right thing. The question is simply how long it will take for them to do so.

Save the Dates! "Farmworker Freedom March:"
Tampa to Lakeland, Florida, April 16-18, 2010!
Background & more info here; route details and logistics to be announced soon

• UPDATE! Campaign for Fair Food "Drawing Contest" announced!
• Mobile "modern-day slavery museum" to tour Florida in lead-up to march

January 25, 2010 - As the SFA Steering Committee prepares for its yearly retreat in Immokalee to chart a course in the escalating Dine with Dignity and Publix campaigns, the CIW has announced a 3-day "Farmworker Freedom March" from Tampa to Publix headquarters in Lakeland, Florida, this April 16-18, 2010. Start making plans today to be among the multitude of CIW allies and supporters from every corner of the state and the country who will march to demand "freedom from forced labor; freedom from abuse; freedom from poverty and degradation." Visit the CIW site today for all the background and details, and contact us for more info on the march and the mobile museum.

Stay tuned for more, as this will surely be a spring to remember...