Today, the Seattle Times reported that the University of Washington has selected Aramark as the next provider of concessions at Husky athletic events. This proves to be a huge win for the student-led Kick Out Sodexo Coalition who has been advocating fiercely for over a year for the UW to partner with world-class companies who respect international labor standards. This is also great news for the ASUW who passed a resolution last year condemning Sodexo and asking the UW to terminate its contract. While this most recent move isn’t as symbolic as the termination would’ve been, students can be proud in that they have created a newfound awareness of corporate responsibility on campus. From now on, the UW will require all future contract bidders to submit data regarding their commitment to corporate responsibility and fair labor practices.
What’s Next?
Earlier this academic year, the Kick Out Sodexo Coalition, with support from the ASUW, pressed hard for the UW to require a strong dedication to corporate responsibility from all third-party vendors who contract with the University. President Young mentioned that he wishes to convene a working group to flesh out the language for the corporate responsibility section of the Request for Proposals (RFP) form that all contract bidders must submit. If this is still the case, the ASUW will fight to ensure that students are represented within this group and that all future vendors meet and uphold these standards.
Again, congratulations to all the students who worked tirelessly and advocated for corporate responsibility at the UW; our campus is a much better place because of it.
Evan Smith
ASUW Director of University Affairs
asuwbdua@uw.edu
