EDUCATION Claremont COURIER/Friday, April 28, 2017 5

Food staff confronts Pomona College administration

yelling at the top of her voice. She was

R
oughly 50 people
union reps, Pomona
College dining hall
workers and students showing
solidaritymarched to the
Pomona administration office
Tuesday at 3 p.m. to confront
President David Oxtoby and
Vice President and Treasurer
Karen L. Sisson about what they
say is unfair treatment.
It was a heated atmosphere.
The demonstrators demanded respect
and a redress of what they say are long-
standing frustrations at the workplace.
They were also protesting what they as-
sert is a direct reprisal against protected
concerted action.
Tensions between dining hall staff and
management have been rising for some
time.
Workers say theyre often missing in-
gredients and equipment needed to pre-
pare foods advertised on dining hall
menus. Employees also said when a din-
ing hall staffer is out sick or on leave,
they arent replaced, leaving their
coworkers with an extra share of work.
The situation came to a head this Mon-
day, when 11 dining hall workers, in-
cluding Pomona College Lead Cook
Edward Mac, were written up for infrac-
tions such as stoppage of work. Each
of those who were issued a written warn-
ing took part in a political action last
Thursday.
Ms. Sisson told the COURIER that the
initial meetings tone was very aggres-
sive, particularly when it came to the de-
meanor of a union organizer who
accompanied the dining hall workers.
Their business representative was
very strident, she said of Daisy Monter-
roso.
Ms. Monterroso, a representative of
Unite Here Local 11an organization
representing 23,000 hotel, restaurant, col-
lege and airport workers statewidealso
did much of the taking during this Tues-
days action. At times, she translated the
comments of Spanish-speaking Pomona
College staffers.
Ms. Monterroso told Mr. Oxtoby and
Ms. Sisson the delegation was seeking as-
surance that the Pomona College admin-
istration was unaware of the write-ups
and didnt support the disciplinary action.
Ms. Sisson told the group crowded into
the presidents office that the write-ups
had nothing to do with censuring political
action. Instead, employees failed to fol-
low procedure.
After hearing Ms. Sissons explana-
tion, Ms. Monterroso said workers and
the union must conclude, with disap-
pointment, that Pomona College admin-
istration endorses punishing staffers for
political action. They say the fish stinks
from the head down, she said. COURIERphoto/Kathryn Dunn
The workers say the write-ups had Some students and cafeteria workers at Pomona College make their way to the of-
everything to do with their organizing for fice of President David Oxtoby to address what they deem as unfair treatment of
10 workers who were written up last week after missing work to take part in a
change. We went on our lunch hour. demonstration.
There was no stoppage of work, Marie
Ocampo, a baker in the Frary Dining
Hall, said. [This is an update to last weeks story agreed to assist with students should an
Ms. Ocampo was part of the April 20 Scripps College resident advisors strike, emergency warrant evacuation of any of
delegation, but was not among those cen- demand increased financial aid and the residence halls and, in the event of an
sured. She believes she escaped repri- campus support.] evacuation, help ensure that all residents
mand because she wasnt on campus According to an email sent out on are accounted for and have safely exit-
Monday when the write-ups were dis- Tuesday, April 25 by Samuel Haynes, as- ed the effected buildings. He added that
tributed. sociate dean of campus life at Scripps the RAs are trained to assist with such
Several employees said the policy re- College, the resident advisors have emergencies as part of their job.
garding lunch breaks has historically agreed to resume that portion of their du- As a result of the agreement, Mr.
been loosely enforced, allowing for flex- ties that involve assisting with emer- Haynes said Scripps will no longer pro-
ibility. gencies in the residence halls. vide the extra security hired to assist with
Mr. Haynes related that the RAs have evacuation in a high-level emergency.
UNITE HERE/continues to page 9

CUSD to issue $30 million, jump into bond projects

projects residents prioritized, however, those plans space that modular classrooms will likely be placed

L
ast Thursdays school board meet-
ing focused largely on swift and
positive developments with respect
to Measure G, the $58 million general ob-
ligation bond passed by voters in Novem-
ber of 2016.
The Claremont Unified School District Board of Ed-
ucation voted unanimously at its April 20 gathering to
enter into contracts with three architectural firms for
three key bond projects.
The contract for the pool and locker room renova-
tions at El Roble Intermediate and Claremont High
School has been awarded to Ziemba and Prieto Archi-
tects. Once the architects comple the design, the district
will go to bid, seeking a contractor to undertake the
projects.
The pool at El Roble has been unusable and closed
for a few years. The CHS pool is currently up and run-
ning, thanks to the recent purchase of a heater. Its con-
dition has been deteriorating for years, however.
When Measure G was first being shaped, only the El
Roble pool fix was included on the list of potential proj-
ects. When Superintendent Jim Elsasser and Assistant
Superintendent of Business Services Lisa Shoemaker
led public meetings to get a bead on which facilities
changed.
Many CUSD families, particularly those with chil-
dren engaged in water sports at the high school, ex-
pressed their desire that the CHS pool
SCHOOL get an upgrade as well. In response,
BOARD the renovation of the high schools
pool was added to the bond measure,
and a less popular plan to upgrade faculty spaces dis-
trict-wide was swapped out.
It would be hard to project when construction will be
completed, according to Ms. Shoemaker, because of the
locker room component of the projects. Locker rooms
are just the sort of facility likely to trigger ADA (Amer-
ican with Disabilities Act) requirements, expanding the
scope of work.
Were trying to get it rolling sooner rather than
later, Ms. Shoemaker said of the pools upgrade.
WLC Architectsthe same group used for the the-
ater renovation project at CHS has been engaged to
assist with the renovation of the high schools music
building, student center and nutrition services area.
And Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke will serve as the archi-
tects for the upcoming replacement of many temporary
classrooms throughout the district with longer-lived
modular buildings.
Some campuses, such as Condit, are so short on
where portables are currently situated, Ms. Shoemaker
said. On other campuses, however, the district may be
able to find better placement for modular classrooms.
If it turns out theres a more favorable spot for a mod-
ular, the portable being replaced will likely continue to
be used during construction of the new classroom, to
avoid the displacement of students.
Another order of business moved the district closer to
the renovation of the CHS gym. This project includes
new flooring, new bleachers andfor the first time in
the gyms historythe installation of air-conditioning.
Under the California Public Contract Code, school
districts can use competitive bids prepared by other
school districts and public agencies. Piggyback con-
tracts, as they are sometimes called, can save a district
time and money.
The board voted unanimously to join the National
Joint Powers Alliance, a municipal national contract-
ing agency. The free membership will enable the district
to purchase gym flooring and bleachers through con-
tracts that have been awarded via the competitive
process utilized by the NJPA, according to the school
board agenda.
The district is now poised to purchase gym flooring
for $90,000 and bleachers for $230,000. The labor for
SCHOOL BOARD/continues to page 9
 COLUMNIST Claremont COURIER/Friday, April 28, 2017 6

Lessons from eating a meal sideways

by Mellissa Martinez
followed up by explaining that a person who performs

H
ave you ever had the experience of

LEX
equally well but spends hours studying is called a study
wishing that you could articulate master, or Xue Ba.
something from another language, An online search turned up some wonderful expres-
sions that simply dont exist in English. In Gaelic, the
but just couldnt find the English equiva-
lent? IN THE word sgriob describes the itchiness that overcomes the
upper lip just before taking a sip of whisky (who

It happened to me just the other day in a conversation
with COURIER Editor Kathryn Dunn, when she re-
counted all of the work she was putting into the news-
papers big move. After a particularly heavy day of
packing, labeling and organizing, she was exhausted. In
an effort to be encouraging, I signed off on our conver-
sation with an upbeat, buon lavoro!
There was really no way to say the same thing in Eng-
lish. If I had said happy work day!, work hard! or even
keep up the good work!, she would have certainly per-
ceived my response as snarky. In Italian, however, buon
lavoro is said to someone in earnest. The closest trans-
lation would be have a productive/meaningful work ex-
perience. Unlike the English good job, which typically
praises a performance or finished product, buon lavoro
is meant to inspire happiness, or satisfaction, within the
worker.
The Japanese have a similar expression, ganbatte,
which goes beyond work and has the broader sense of
work hard, do your best, chin up, be strong. Perhaps a
close English equivalent would be hang in there, but
when I lived in Japan I observed the word used in all
sorts of situations. It was said studying, playing a sport
or even persuading someone. In a classic example of
CITY
collectivist culture, the person who receives the words of
encouragement responds with an enthusiastic ganbari-
masu, which agrees with the good wisher, You are
right, I will do my best!
I asked my students to help me with this article by
sharing some of the expressions that they miss most
from their native languages. A German student reported
that she wished she could use the word kummerspeck, or
grief bacon, which refers to the excess weight gained
from emotional overeating.
A Japanese student surprised me with a word that per-
fectly describes one of my most annoying habits. She
explained that tsundoku refers to buying a book and
leaving it unread in a pile of other new, unread books in
the house. I had no idea that other people did that.
A Chinese student looked at me pensively and asked
Do you have study gods in English? Study what? I
replied. She explained that someone who doesnt have
to study very much but still does amazingly well on tests
and assignments is called a Xue Shen, or study god. She
knew?); in Russian, a pochemuchka is a person who
asks a lot of questions; in Japanese, yoko meshior a
meal eaten sideways, refers to the stress induced by
speaking a foreign language; and in Tagalog, gigil is the
urge to pinch or squeeze something that is unbearably
cute.
A few years ago, I received a book titled, The Mean-
ing of Tingo: and other extraordinary words from
around the world. Tingo is a Pascuense word, which
basically means to steal what you want from a friend by
slowly borrowing items one at a time. Needless to say,
the word tingo made its way into my lexicon along with
some other gems from the bookand yes, the person
who gave me the book had indeed loaned me many
items over the years.
The book offers a glimpse at the way in which differ-
ent cultures view the world. For example, in Hopi the
word masaytaka refers to insects, airplanes and pilots,
while the Indonesian neko-neko describes someone who
has a creative idea that only makes things worse.
I love turning the pages and stumbling across wacky,
funny, offbeat words and I must agree with the authors
insight when he notes that, sometimes a dictionary can
tell you more about a culture than a guidebook.

Relay for Life at CHS
Relay For Life will be held at Clare-
mont High School, 1601 N. Indian Hill
Blvd., on Saturday, May 6 through Sun-
day, May 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Relay For Life brings together teams
from local businesses, schools, churches
and families from Claremont, La Verne
and Pomona for camaraderie, food, music
and entertainment, and a night under the
starsall while team members take turns
walking or running on a track.
For information about the Greater
Pomona Valley Relay For Life, call
Veronica Sepulveda at (909) 908-4886.
For cancer information, call toll-free (800)
227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
OUR TOWN
Top-ranking CHS stu-
dents make the grade,
gather awards
Eleven CHS students have been rec-
ognized as scoring in the top 2.5 percent
among all Hispanic and Latino test-tak-
ers in our region. CHS students invited
to participate in the National Hispanic
Recognition Program include Isabel Bar-
bee, Jack Berry, David Deanda, Alfredo
Gonzalez, Matthew Lach, Cristian
Lozano, Metzli Montero, Victor Mora,
Lauren Vance, Maya Winnick and Diego
Zertuche, son of COURIER columnist
Mellissa Martinez. Go Pack!
In winter sports, CHS had nine student
athletes receive the Palomares Academic
All-League awards. Students who had
the top 10 highest GPAs for their sport in
the league are Charlotte Cheng, Hope
Hyland, Chris Jensen, Makenna Moore,
Victor Mora, Oksana Sosnovsky, Kyra
Tisopulos, Eric Tran and Sam Yagoday.
Other recent accolades for CHS stu-
dents include filmmakers from the ad-
vanced video production program who
entered the Directing Change Film Con-
test aimed at breaking the stigma of men-
tal health matters and suicide prevention.
Five CHS films were recognized in
Los Angeles County. There are five re-
gions in the state with more than 450
films entered statewide.
The two top films from CHS include a
first-place win in the mental health cate-
gory for Aspirations, which will move
on to the state competition. The film-
makers are Isabella Cisneros, Daniella
Cruz, Abigail Grandson and Elizabeth
Schwartz.
In the suicide prevention category,
The Awakenings by filmmakers Kate-
lyn Villegas, Charlotte Stradley, Miranda
Van Beers and Dakota White earned
third place. To view the movies, visit di-
rectingchange.org.

Superintendents update on Measure G funds
S
ince the successful pas-
sage of Measure G last
November, Claremont VIEWPOINT
Unified School District staff
has been working to get the ap-
propriate mechanisms in place
to handle accounting, Citizens
Oversight Committee report-
ing and contractor prequalifi-
cation.
To ensure the proper support and
management of construction/modern-
ization projects as well as to provide for
district-level oversight, internal staffing
changes were recently approved by the
board of education. The districts proj-
ect management team will work to-
gether with the architects and other
project personnel to keep costs to a
minimum.
Three architectural firms were ap-
proved and have been assigned bond
projects:
WLC ArchitectsClaremont High
School (CHS) music building, student
center and food prep area;
Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke Architects
replacing the portables with modular
construction;
Ziemba and Prieto Architects
locker rooms and pools at El Roble and
CHS.
Other projects on the list that require
minimal to no architectural or Depart-
ment of State Architect (DSA) over-
sight, and will be primarily managed by
district staff include: repairing and re-
furbishing roofs; replacing air condi-
tioning; upgrading electrical systems,
installing a new floor, bleachers and air
conditioning in the CHS east gym; and
upgrading elementary classrooms.
During the April 20 board meeting,
members of the CUSD board of educa-
tion approved the issuance of the first
$30 million for bond projects. These
funds should become available to the
district within the first two weeks of
June.
With funds on their way, and projects
having been assigned, the district can
begin to move forward on these various
projects. Our project management team
and architects will involve the appropri-
ate school site staff on projects that di-
rectly affect their programs.
One of our highest priority goals has
been to refurbish the swimming pools
as soon as possible. Architects from
Ziemba and Prieto will engage the nec-
essary pool consultants; however, due
to the proximity of the pools to the
locker rooms, there must be coordina-
tion of these projects. This work will
require DSA involvement in the design
and construction oversight, which typi-
cally prolongs the process.
A district-wide roofing project was
recently authorized and the awarding
bid will be presented for approval at the
May 18 board meeting. It is anticipated
that work will begin on this project
shortly thereafter.
A resolution was also recently passed
which allows the district to participate
in the National Joint Powers Alliance
for the purchase of a new floor and
bleachers for the Claremont High
School gymnasium. Our goal is to have
this work completed over the summer.
Architects from Ruhnau Ruhnau
Clarke will begin planning our transi-
tion from portable classrooms to modu-
lar units with plans of starting the
transition at the end of the 2017-2018
school year.
In an effort to minimize interim
Visit our website for videos and photo galleries.
www.claremont-courier.com
Claremont COURIER/Friday, April 28, 2017 7
housing costs, and depending on the
final placement of modular units, we
will continue to house students in exist-
ing portable classrooms whenever pos-
sible.
California Education Code requires
districts to appoint community mem-
bers to provide bond oversight. The
Citizens Oversight Committee (COC)
for Claremont Unified School District
consists of seven community members
that were selected through an applica-
tion process and approved to serve on
the committee. Their primary responsi-
bility is to receive and review informa-
tion related to the expenditure of the
bond proceeds as well as to ensure that
the proceeds are being expended in
compliance with the law.
The first meeting of the COC will
occur prior to the end of the 2016-2017
school year.
The coming months and years are
going to be both busy and exciting.
Watch for signs that advertise your tax
dollars at work!
On behalf of the board of education,
thank you again for your commitment
to and endorsement of Measure G.
Jim Elsasser, EdD
CUSD Superintendent

In wake of student activism, college defends hire of sociologist
A
midst a tumultuous period of stu-
dent demands, protests, strikes
and sit-ins at the Claremont Col-
leges, the Pomona College administration
is standing firm in response to criticism
after hiring prominent sociologist Alice
Goffman.
After a student or group of students emailed
Pomona officials a list of demandschiefly, the im-
mediate dismissal of Ms. Goffman, whose critically-
acclaimed book about how policing and mass incar-
ceration affects African American communities has
sparked national controversy and allegations of
racismthe sociology department emphatically de-
nied the students claims.
We reject the premise that Alice Goffmans work
hyper-criminalizes and hyper-sexualizes African-
Americans, the department wrote in a letter to sociol-
ogy students. In fact, her book is widely regarded as a
sympathetic and humanizing portrait of an over-po-
liced community, and has been part of the national
conversation about racial disparities in crime and in-
carceration.
Pomona College Dean Audrey Bilger dealt a similar
blow to the petitioners hopes, noting in a statement to
the COURIER that Pomona follows a rigorous
process when hiring faculty.
We are pleased that this process resulted in an offer
and an acceptance, and we look forward to [Ms. Goff-
man] joining our very active, vibrant academic com-
munity in the fall as a visiting professor, Ms. Bilger
said.
Pomonas support for Ms. Goffman in the face of
student outcry comes during a wave of student ac-
tivism across the Claremont Colleges.
In March, Harvey Mudd College students voiced
their anger with the school for not releasing an exter-
nal report that quoted anonymous students and faculty
saying the burdensome workload was extreme, and
left students with no time for essential activities like
eating and sleeping.
After the report was leaked to the Claremont Col-
leges newspaper The Student Life, students rallied and
held a sit-in to demand curricular changes, increased
mental health funding and more support for students
of color. They received some concessions from Mudd
President Maria Klawe, who promised $1,500 to each
student diversity group and canceled two days of class.
At Claremont McKenna College, a coalition of pro-
testers barred access to a building where conservative
commentator Heather Mac Donald was to speak
Claremont COURIER/Friday, April 28, 2017 8
Bishara said, nearly echoing the letter. Her research
methods were questionable. And her hire at Pomona
was secretive and seemingly biased.
Ms. Goffmans critics claim that Pomona sociology
students were given no notice that the department
was hiring someone to fill the McConnell Visiting
Professor Chair position.
Candidates were only referred to as guest lectur-
ers, not as potential faculty members, the statement
reads. Students attending the lectures were given no
platform to provide feedback about candidates.
However, Pomona student and sociology liaison
Mary Alice Koon emailed sociology students ahead of
Ms. Goffmans hiring, inviting them to have lunch
with the candidates being considered for the position.
The sociology department received funding to
bring in a tenured, distinguished faculty member from
another university for two to three years, and they are
bringing the final
threecandidatesto cam-
pus, Ms. Koon wrote,
which seems to disprove
the claim that Ms. Goff-
We are pleased mans was a surprise hir-
that this process ing.
Photo from University of Wisconsin-Madison Ms. Koon did not re-
Alice Goffman was recently hired by Pomona Col- resulted in an spond to a request for
lege. Responses to her hiring have been mixed,
with some students demanding the college take offer and an ac- comment.
Not all sociology stu-
back the offer. ceptance, and dents agree with the deci-
against Black Lives Matter, prompting a fierce free we look forward sion to condemn Ms.
Goffmans hiring.
speech debate in early April. to [Ms. Goffman] I regret the fact that
Though CMC President Hiram Chodosh and the
Claremont Police Department decided that arresting joining our very the letter frames itself as
beingfrom sociology
protesters or forcing them to move could have created active, vibrant
unsafe conditions, Mr. Chodosh condemned those
who blocked access to Ms. Mac Donalds speech.
The breach of our freedoms to listen to views that
challenge us and to engage in dialogue about matters
academic com- students, thus attempting
to speak for all sociology
majors, said one sociolo-
munity in the fall. gy major at the Claremont
Colleges, who requested
of controversy is a serious, ongoing concern we must
anonymity to speak can-
address effectively, Mr. Chodosh wrote in a message
didly without fear of retal-
to the CMC community.
iation from other sociolo-
And at Scripps College, resident advisors went on
gy students. As a
strike April 13 to demand more financial aid and
sociology major, it does
protest what they called a lack of institutional support
not speak for me, and although I take issue with the
after the suicide of fellow RA Tatissa Zunguze.
sociology departments lack of transparency and stu-
Scripps President Lara Tiedens has met with the
dent involvement in the hiring process, I do not reject
RAs several times, and told the COURIER that she
the decision to hireGoffman as the best candidate for
and the RAs share the goals of creating a better
the position.
Scripps. The RAs have since agreed to resume emer-
The letter demanding Ms. Goffmans termination,
gency duties only.
which also calls for a meeting with Pomona President
The letter demanding Ms. Goffmans termination
David Oxtoby and increased student involvement in
claimed to have 128 signatories, but the names were
the hiring process, said Ms. Goffmans hire proves
redacted for individual safety in recognition of the vi-
the colleges failure to wholeheartedly address under-
olence inflicted on communities of color by various
representation of faculty of color and Pomonas insti-
publications, namely The Claremont Independent.
tutional inadequacy to recognize and advocate for the
Anonymous statements and demands have become
best interests of students of color.
commonplace since March, when three Pitzer College
The letter also brings up national backlash Ms.
students received death threats via Facebook from in-
Goffman has received for her research methods;
dividuals outside the Claremont Colleges for painting
among other concerns, critics say Ms. Goffmana
a mural at Pitzer that read White Girl, Take Off Your
white womanis racially insensitive, and her best-
Hoopsa denouncement of cultural appropriation.
selling book, On the Run: Fugitive Life in an Amer-
Many believe the death threats came from people
ican City, contains factual errors and embellishments.
who read an article about the mural published in The
In its response to students, the Pomona sociology
Claremont Independenta conservative campus pub-
department defended Ms. Goffmans reputation.
licationand picked up by national conservative out-
There have been, as there always are, scholarly cri-
lets like The Daily Caller and The Blaze. The Inde-
tiques of the books methods and findings. Such de-
pendent received widespread student backlash, and the
bate is to be expected and encouraged in the academic
incident prompted students to protest and petition
community, the department wrote. The methods of
anonymously.
On the Run, while controversial, have not been found
No sociology students believed to have been in-
to be unethical. The University of Wisconsin conduct-
volved with the writing of the demand letter responded
ed an internal reviewand uncovered no wrongdo-
to requests for comment, but Pitzer College sociology
ing.
major Simone Bishara said she agrees with the letters
Ms. Goffman, who is currently an assistant profes-
message.
sor at the University of Wisconsin, did not respond to
Her research contributes to the hyper-criminaliza-
a request for comment. Kellen Browning
tion and sexualization of black men and women,

UNITE HERE/from page 5
For instance, Mr. Macs specified time
to break for lunch is 4:15 p.m. He says
he cant afford to stop work then, be-
cause its only 45 minutes before the 5
p.m. dinner crowd shows up. Instead, he
generally breaks at 3 p.m., the same time
he went to speak to administration last
week.
Workers and union reps are convinced
that those written up were purposely
punished. They indicated to Ms. Sisson
and Mr. Oxtoby, who were standing out-
side of the presidents office, that the
write-ups were in direct violation of fed-
eral law.
Section 7 of the National Labor Rela-
tions Act (NLRA) says employees have
the right to join together to advance
their interests as employees and its un-
lawful for an employer to interfere with,
restrain or coerce employees in the exer-
cise of their rights.
Section 8 details some of the things
that constitute interference, including
disciplining employees because of their
protected, concerted activities.
In a later interview, Ms. Sisson as-
serted that the college supports employ-
SCHOOL BOARD/from page 5
installation of the bleachers will be an
insignificant expense, Ms. Shoemaker
said, but the district will be going to bid
for a contractor to install the new floor-
ing.
Providing the work goes smoothly,
with no unexpected delays, the district
hopes to get the gym ship-shape in time
CHSs annual back-to-school gathering.
The board has approved the first issuance
of bond money. That issuance, known as
series A, will yield $30 million.
The districts underwriter, Piper Jaffrey
& Co.which has helped with district re-
financing over the last couple of years
will perform a routine credit check and then
sell the bonds to investors. Ms. Shoemaker
said the money is expected to be available
in late May or early June.
The district had originally planned to is-
sue $20 million in Series A. They opted to
issue $10 million more for two reasons.
The first is that the marketstill-low in-
terest rates plus housing values that con-
tinue to climballows for the district to
issue more bond money while still keep-
ing an important promise to taxpayers.
We can issue 30 million of bonds and
its not going to exceed $46 per $100,000
in assessed value, Ms. Shoemaker said of
the bond cost attached to residents annu-
al tax bills.
Secondly, the district is looking to ac-
quire more bond money sooner so it can
cross bond projects off the list quickly. Con-
struction experts have advised district
staff that constructions prices are likely to
escalate precipitously in the coming
months and years.
Everyone who knows construction, and
how competitive it is, is encouraging us to
do more work sooner rather than later, Ms.
Shoemaker said.
The next meeting of the Claremont
Board of Education will be Thursday, May
18 in the Richard S. Kirkendall Education
Center. Sarah Torribio
storribio@claremont-courier.com
Tascha Shahriari-Parsa, far right, collects students' contact information for the
group Claremont United Rapid Response Network near the Coop Fountain at
Pomona College on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Shahriari-Parsa, who is a junior at
Pomona, is from Vancouver, Canada.
ees rights to share their concerns.
The issue was that not every em-
ployee had checked in with their man-
ager to say they were leaving. Those that
did were not written up, she said.
The reason people were written up
was for not following procedures. Sta-
tions were left virtually unmanned. It
created an unsafe environment for stu-
dents.
The employees insist they were fol-
lowing de facto policy, and some say
there has been an unusual amount of
scrutiny regarding clocking in and break
times since last Thursday.
According to Mr. Mac, Unite Here
local union 11 has either filed or is in the
process of filing a suit against Pomona
College with the NLRB.
It remains to be seen whether the din-
ing hall workers and the Pomona College
administration can settle their differences
out of court. If there is legal wrangling,
another stipulation of Section 8 may find
its way into the workers case. Enforcing
new or once unenforced rules could be
considered a reprisalif, and only if, its
done to quell political dissent among
workers.
As with many employee-employer
disputes, there is a he-said, she-said qual-
ity to the conflict.
Ms. Sisson said the staffers and union
reps failed to use an important mecha-
claremont-courier.com
COURIER photo/Kathryn Dunn
nism for resolving issues. They failed to
attend a Joint Labor Management Com-
mittee (JLMC) meeting scheduled for
the afternoon of Friday, April 21.
I had hoped they would attend so that
we could have had the opportunity to
discuss their issues more fully, Ms. Sis-
son said in a later interview. I believe
they responded that the JLMC wasnt
working.
The JLMC is attended by a neutral
federal mediator to make sure all points
of view are heard and to facilitate the res-
olution of complaints, Ms. Sisson con-
tinued. That meeting would have been a
good opportunity for me to report on the
two specific items mentioned on Thurs-
day. This is important because the JLMC
is the mechanism agreed to in the Col-
lective Bargaining Agreement for re-
solving issues. If workers and their
representatives do not attend, it is very
difficult to get things resolved.
Ms. Monterosso was clear with Ms.
Sisson on Tuesday, saying the staff and
union had purposely opted not to attend
the JLMC meeting. Mr. Mac later attrib-
uted their absence at the meeting to the
fact that administration had dragged its
heels in delivering some requested infor-
mation. They got that information only a
couple days before the meeting, he said,
and they determined that was not enough
time to properly review and respond to
Claremont COURIER/Friday, April 28, 2017 9
the information.
Mr. Oxtoby had a focused message,
which he repeated more than once.
We are committed to respect in the
workplace. We are also committed to
working with the union. Wed like to
work with the union on the contract,
Mr. Oxtoby said.
Ms. Monterroso insisted the contract
was breached the moment those 11 em-
ployees were written up because, ac-
cording to the contracts terms, workers
should first receive coaching and coun-
seling before being disciplined.
Whatever side, if any, is at fault, its
apparent theres a communication break-
down. Ms. Sisson told the COURIER
that administration is, indeed, looking to
address staff concerns.
Take the ingredient shortage, she said.
The reason kitchen staff were short on
ingredients is that a new computer pro-
gram was causing certain things to drop
off the list of needed items. Since last
weeks delegation, they have began
using a whiteboard on which the ingre-
dients to be ordered are written. We can
then ask all employees if they see a prob-
lem with, or if they are in agreement
with, what is on the white board.
Ms. Sisson did not, however, mention
that administration and management
were working to address staff concerns
at Tuesdays meeting, which she said
was a misstep on her part.
I probably should have. Communi-
cation is very important, she said. But
to think on your feet when there are 40
people in the room and theyre agitated
and making accusations, its very hard.
Tuesdays gathering ended dramati-
cally. Ms. Monterroso translated as one
dining hall worker vented his feelings.
The problem is we have a union and
because of that they wont let us work in
peace, he said. Why do you hate us?
We do the work of two people and you
treat us like animals. Im not asking for
anything that is not mine. Im asking for
respect.
Ms. Monterroso warned Mr. Oxtoby
and Ms. Sisson that the crisis wasnt
over. She noted that last weeks delega-
tion had been small and this weeks del-
egation was larger. The next time, she
warned, there will be even more demon-
strators.
The protestors joined in chants of Si,
se puede (yes, we can) and No respect,
no peace. No justice, no peace before
exiting the office. Sarah Torribio
storribio@claremont-courier.com