Sodexo Employees Sue Company

A group of food service workers at and Good Shepherd hospitals have filed a class-action lawsuit in Lehigh County Court, claiming the company they work for underpaid them.

The workers -- employees of the food service company Sodexo -- claim that they had to work before clocking in and during breaks most days. They're seeking compensation for that time. If successful, about 80 employees could get back wages, according to the Service Employees International Union, which announced the suit Tuesday.

The lawsuit is the latest skirmish in an war between the union and Sodeoxo, which handles the food service duties for several Lehigh Valley colleges and hospitals.

Last week, students at Moravian College in Bethlehem and in Easton asked their schools to drop Sodexo, claiming the company mistreats its workers.

SEIU spokesman Matt Painter declined to say how much money the employees feel they're owed.

But Olson, a six-year Sodexo worker and one of the plaintiffs named in the suit, said he and his colleagues would constantly put in extra -- and unpaid -- time. They would either work through their breaks or put in time before and after they punched in and out for the day. He said the practice began when he was at St. Luke's, and seemed to get worse when moved to Good Shepherd.

"It was like a subculture,"  said Olson, of Alburtis. "It had a life of its own."

Olson said no one made he and his fellow workers put in extra time, but added that the kitchen was short staffed and working overtime was frowned upon. Work more than the alloted time, Olson said, and you'd find yourself "interrogated" by management.

"They make you feel like it's your fault," he said. 

Olson and Shari Kurtz, another one of the plaintiffs, said things have gotten better recently as the company has become aware its workers were organizing. The company has added staff, they said, and fixed equipment.

"Before, no one would ask if you're all right," Olson said. 

Alfred King, a spokesman for Sodexo, said the company is "investigating the allegations" in the lawsuit. 

"We respect our employees right to organize," King said, noting that there were over 300 collective bargaining agreements at place with the company, dozens of them with the SEIU or its affiliates.

In the past, Sodexo has accused the SEIU of a smear campaign. 

"It's interesting to note that after a year, they haven't called for an election," King said. "If they have the support they claim, they could easily have called for an election."

Painter said the union wants to first make sure the elections are held in a process "that levels the playing field."

Officials at the institutions that work with Sodexo had little to say about suit.

"We really don't have any comment on Sodexo and their labor practices," said Michael Wilson, director of public relations and marketing at Moravian College.

However, Dennis A. Domchek, the college's vice president for administration, and another member of Moravian's business office did meet with the student who is leading the Sodexo complaints, after the student requested a meeting with College President Christopher M. Thomforde, Wilson said.

The meeting concluded with the administrators asking the student to prepare a "written proposal" around that complaint, which Moravian is now waiting to receive," Wilson said.

Denise Rader, the director of media relations for St. Luke's, said hospital representatives had not seen the complaint and would not comment on ongoing litigation among outside parties.

"Good Shepherd hopes that the Sodexo employees and Sodexo can come to an amicable solution as quickly as possible," hospital spokeswoman Patricia Pologruto said in an e-mailed statement.

"Any legal action by Sodexo employees is not directed at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network. Good Shepherd contracts with Sodexo for food service and mandates the highest quality nutritional services for its patients, residents, employees and visitors."