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BERKELEY'S NEWS • NOVEMBER 18, 2023

Foothill late night dining services suspended after second Undergraduate Workers Union walkout

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JASMINE VALENCIA | STAFF

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APRIL 25, 2017

The Foothill dining commons has suspended its late night services because of issues that remain ambiguous to both residents and employees.

Foothill will be offering “extended dinner services” in lieu of traditional late night services, according to Hana Komine, a student worker for the dining commons. Adam Ratliff, a campus spokesperson, said Foothill is now open Sunday through Thursday from 5-10 p.m. for dinner. Previously, Foothill was open until 8 p.m. for dinner, and its late night hours were from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Komine has been working at the dining hall for two semesters. She serves as the student lead for 3.5 shifts. According to Komine, five Foothill employees have allegedly had their employment placed under review after two walkouts in collaboration with the Undergraduate Workers Union, or UWU, on April 16 and April 19.

Members of the UWU declined to comment on the suspension of Foothill’s late night services.

Komine said in an email that working late night was her favorite shift and that she was shocked when the services were stopped. She added that she feels these new extended services are less convenient for students because food is served buffet-style and items are no longer ready for pickup.

“As a worker, I am also suffering a loss of work hours, as the 5-hour late night shift was shortened into a 4-hour shift,” Komine said in her email. “I know several students who only work late night now are only able to work a fraction of the hours they used to before the change.”

According to Ratliff, Cal Dining has the authority to remove any employee from their schedules if they do not report for a scheduled shift or if they walk off the job after punching in. Ratcliff said in an email that any employee removed from their schedule must reconcile walking out or being absent with either Human Resources or Cal Dining management.

Ratcliff confirmed that late night services have been suspended because of staffing limitations.

Herman Bathla, a Foothill resident, said in an email that he has heard rumors regarding the reasons for the changes in Foothill’s hours, but he added that Foothill residents have been kept largely in the dark about why late night services were suspended.

“We’ve gotten pretty much no information about the state of the dining hall from the university, Cal Dining or Foothill, which is not ideal,” Bathla said in his email.

Bathla added, however, that late night’s suspension hasn’t affected him very much. According to Bathla, the extended dinner has fulfilled most of his needs for days he doesn’t have time to make it to the dining hall during its regular operating hours.

Ratliff offered no indication of if or when late night services will return to Foothill.

Contact Kate Tinney at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @K_Tinney.
LAST UPDATED

APRIL 27, 2017


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