Hunter students protest cutbacks for dining staff

More than 150 students assembled outside of Hunter College yesterday to protest the treatment of the university's cafeteria workers.

Over the summer, the Hunter College administration decided to switch to a new food contractor: AVI Foodsystems, Inc. Although AVI did not bring in new staff, the company has refused to accept the contracts that cafeteria workers had with their former employers. The workers are requesting a contract that includes free family health insurance and a pension plan.

Last month, workers organized a work stoppage to communicate their frustrations to faculty and students. Soon thereafter, the workers garnered the support of Unite Here, the workers' union that organized yesterday's protest.

"AVI needs to give into the demands of the workers or they will have to deal with the students and faculty that strongly stand behind them," said Ian Mikusko, a member of Unite Here and one of the protest's organizers.