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Food Fight (UN employees on LOOTING Spree)
Time ^ | 5/3/03 | STEWART STOGEL/U.N.

Posted on 05/03/2003 1:44:09 PM PDT by Mark Felton

Food Fight
When the Food Workers Union stages an impromptu walkout at the U.N., the diplomats start looting for lunch and booze 
By STEWART STOGEL/U.N.


MILOS BICANSKI/GETTY IMAGES
Kofi's lunch service was cut short
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Saturday, May. 03, 2003
Hunger pains can apparently turn even the most upstanding diplomat into a looter. At noon on Friday, food workers at the U.N. headquarters walked off their jobs, calling a wildcat strike. The result: none of the U.N.'s five restaurants and bars was staffed. The walkout left thousands of U.N. employees scrounging for lunch — eventually, the masses stripped the cafeterias of everything, including the silverware.

The food workers staged a one-day show of muscle after they learned that they would not be reimbursed for vacation pay due to a contract shift that took place in March. For the past 17 years the U.N. has been under contract to Restaurant Associates Inc. (RA). In March, RA lost the contract to Aramark Corporation, the largest U.S. food services company. According to Aramark executives who spoke to TIME, RA informed the food workers on Friday morning that it would only cover vacation pay that was issued before May 2nd, the last day of RA's U.N. contract. Any vacation pay due after May 2nd would need to be paid by Aramark.

But Aramark informed the Union it would only pay for time worked for their company and nothing previous with RA. Aramark told the union that whether or not vacation paychecks were to be issued before or after May 2nd the work in question was performed when RA held the U.N. contract.

That was enough to set the food workers walking during the height of Friday's lunch hour. After that, what ensued was nothing short of Baghdad style chaos.

Kofi Annan, who had a private lunch previously scheduled with the members of the Security Council in the Delegates Dining Room, found they were only served the main course. After that, they were on their own — no desserts, no cleanup, no coffee for Kofi. And the service was no better for anyone else at the U.N. But as tensions grew and stomachs growled, a high-ranking U.N. official boldly ordered that all the cafeterias open their doors for business even without staff. The restaurants had been locked shut by security until about 1:00 pm when the doors flung open.

The decision to make the cafeterias into "no pay zones" spread through the 40-acre complex like wildfire. Soon, the hungry patrons came running. "It was chaos, wild, something out of a war scene," said one Aramark executive who was present. "They took everything, even the silverware," she said. Another witness from U.N. security said the cafeteria was "stripped bare." And another told TIME that the cafeteria raid was "unbelievable, crowds of people just taking everything in sight; they stripped the place bare." And yet another astonished witness said that "chickens, turkeys, souffles, casseroles all went out the door (unpaid)."

The mob then moved on to the Viennese Café, a popular snack bar in the U.N.'s conference room facility. It was also stripped bare. The takers included some well-known diplomats who finished off the raid with free drinks at the lounge for delegates. When asked how much liquor was lifted from the U.N. bar, one U.S. diplomat responded: "I stopped counting the bottles." He then excused himself and headed towards the men's room.

An Aramark executive estimated the food "removed" from the U.N.'s main cafeteria at between $7,000 and $9,000 not including the staff restaurant, the Viennese Café or the Delegate's Bar. The value of the missing silverware has yet to be estimated.

Come Monday, the workers should be back at their stations. The dispute has been temporarily resolved with the Union agreeing that the vacation pay remains RA's responsibility. The Union also wasn't willing to risk Aramark's only option of replacing all the workers.

"I hope we have large crowds rushing to come to lunch on Monday," an Aramark executive said. "But this time we expect them to pay for what they take."


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: freeloaders; irrelevant; looting; strikes; un; unions
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To: FreedomCalls
They don't pay US income tax either.

I was not referring to foreign diplomats. US citizens who work for the UN do not pay US income tax.

My sister works for the UN. While obviously I have no doubt she would lie to me. I believed her when she was complaining about her taxes being too high. I was surprised when she said she pays an income tax to some sort of World Fund.
She lives in New York.

121 posted on 05/04/2003 10:39:23 AM PDT by rainingred
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To: Mark Felton
unbelievable!
122 posted on 05/04/2003 11:06:32 AM PDT by jerri
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BTTT
123 posted on 05/04/2003 12:33:45 PM PDT by Fraulein
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BTTT
124 posted on 05/04/2003 1:17:44 PM PDT by Fraulein
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To: Jim Robinson; Bob J; Nick Danger; Interesting Times; Registered; lowbridge; Angelwood; kristinn; ...
Maybe we need a "Count the Silverware Ball II" in NYC when they have the welcome back parade for our returning troops?

Wonder if there is a small restaurant or bar near the UN mission that would be cooperative in holding a little publicity getting "in your face" celebration of USA's moral vitory over the UN? Just a thought.
125 posted on 05/04/2003 1:28:02 PM PDT by anymouse
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To: anymouse
How about McFadden's, complete with cement barricades outside, since the Israeli mission is upstairs?
126 posted on 05/04/2003 1:43:22 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: Mark Felton
Is the U.N. finally learning that there is no free lunch after all?
127 posted on 05/04/2003 2:22:58 PM PDT by henderson field
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To: firebrand
And is the U.N. ready for self-government?
128 posted on 05/04/2003 2:27:34 PM PDT by henderson field
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To: henderson field
My friend the UN lawyer tells me they are interested in nothing but stuffing their faces with caviar.
129 posted on 05/04/2003 2:31:24 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: hellinahandcart
Said not only silverware but furniture was also missing.

Sounds like the end of the Clinton administration.

130 posted on 05/04/2003 2:31:33 PM PDT by nonliberal (That makes sense. Not to me, but it makes sense.)
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To: nutmeg
Parts of this read like something from the Onion!

What a bunch of lowlife thugs!
131 posted on 05/04/2003 2:34:56 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Take only as directed.)
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To: firebrand
My friend the UN lawyer tells me they are interested in nothing but stuffing their faces with caviar.

Especially at conferences on World Hunger. I'll never forget that either.

You know, the best thing that could happen would be for the diplos to not hold back. They should indulge their criminal impulses whenever they hit. Eventually people will realize that these folks, who are looters straight off the pages of "Atlas Shrugged", do not have anyone's interest at heart except their own.

Burns me up that most of the world thinks this collection of cynical grifters and demented micromanagers is a benevolent organization that we should all defer to...

132 posted on 05/04/2003 2:42:32 PM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: Mark Felton
F**king leeches. Ask me if I'm shocked.
133 posted on 05/04/2003 2:48:19 PM PDT by RightOnline
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To: firebrand
And parasites. I forgot to mention PARASITES.
134 posted on 05/04/2003 2:53:01 PM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: henderson field
And is the U.N. ready for self-government?

LOL!

135 posted on 05/04/2003 2:53:08 PM PDT by Fraulein
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To: hellinahandcart
I keep thinking we could get the congressional act through if we do it in pieces. Like, first we could repeal the Headquarters Act. Make them wonder what's going to happen to them now that they are not on their own sovereign territory any more. Get the rest through later.
136 posted on 05/04/2003 2:55:46 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: firebrand
The U.N. $600,000 Kitchen

"The United States will pay 600,000 dollars to renovate the kitchen at the residence of the US ambassador to the United Nations..."

"John Negroponte...asked for the funds to remodel and expand the kitchen at his apartment in New York's famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel..."

"'Yeah, it's a lot of money, but it's a lot of work and it's worth it,' said one department official, who like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity."

137 posted on 05/04/2003 2:57:58 PM PDT by Fraulein
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To: firebrand
U.S. Will Pay an Extra $100 Million in Increased UN Dues NEXT YEAR
138 posted on 05/04/2003 3:00:20 PM PDT by Fraulein
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To: Fraulein
Can't fit nearly enough caviar into a 10 x 17-foot kitchen.
139 posted on 05/04/2003 3:01:40 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: firebrand
LOL! Exactly!

I emailed this story to Rush, Glenn Beck, Hannity, and Phil Valentine. I truly hope that somebody picks it up tomorrow.

140 posted on 05/04/2003 3:16:13 PM PDT by Fraulein
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