Food Fight (UN employees on LOOTING Spree)

Time ^ | 5/3/03 | STEWART STOGEL/U.N.

[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

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."

[TomGuy]

If this were a skit on Saturday Nite Live, it would seem incredulous.

Proof that truth is stranger than fiction.

[just me]

Decisions about war is supposed to be left up to people like these Idiots
Throw all their butts in jail.... that is where they belong.. they are nothing but thieves...

[anymouse]

Not that we are surprised, but this should plainly show anyone why the UN can't be trusted with Iraq or anything of importance. Deport the whole bunch, ASAP!

[Normal4me]

SCREW THEM! Monday have a truck with sacks of wheat and rice waiting for them all. Gonna act like refugees, we might as well treat them like it.

[michigander]

A union calls a strike and the socialist/communists at the un rob the places blind?
Who'd a thought such a thing could happen?

[GailA]

LOL

[hellinahandcart]

Their wives are no better. I used to work in retail and they all thought the world (an particularly me) owed them something. They're exempt from sales tax too, only they're supposed to show their UN ID card with the tax-exempt # on it EVERY TIME they buy something, and they all know it, but they get such a kick out of browbeating salespeople. So they never bring their ID and just throw a tantrum at the end of every transaction because the salesgirl hasn't fallen to her knees to the point of memorizing tax-exempt numbers for materialistic floozies married to useless diplomats. I hate them all.

[VOA]

Food Fight (UN employees on LOOTING Spree)

Even if clicking the red "Time" link appears to take me to an actual Time Magazine
website...surely this must be from The Onion.

Or else Time Magazine has watched FOX News and decided that printing the truth
might be a formula for staying in business.

[VOA]

A union calls a strike and the socialist/communists at the un rob the places blind?

Of course, the caring, compassionate socialist/communists were
actively showing they are in solidarity with the oppressed union workers.

Trust me, you'd need to be a Democrat or work in academia to understand this.
(I fit in the latter category.)

[holyscroller]

Kofi Annon, like putting lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The UN is nothing but scoundrels, thieves and scofflaws - as I've said all along. I volunteer to drive them to the airport - for a one -way flight - out of my country......forever.

[SeaDragon]

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.

This just proves that you can dress them up but you still can't take them anywhere.........

[timestax]

bump

[hellinahandcart]

I am actually praying that there were security cameras in those cafeterias and that the food service people turn the tape over to the media. It will be a nice change from watching Iraqis running off with refrigerators on their backs and chairs stacked on their heads...

[general_re]

I guess I'm only surprised that they even bother paying for stuff, rather than just helping themselves and walking out the door. You must either have the patience of a saint, or have really needed that job - the first time that the wife of the ambassador from Upper Bungholia started in on me...probably would have ended up with me losing my job ;)

[Fraulein]

ping

[michigander]

(I fit in the latter category.)

Thanks for being here to explain it. ;)

[just me]

May 2, 2003

ETHICS: U.N. Launches Organizational Integrity Initiative
The United Nations yesterday announced the launch of an "organizational integrity initiative" meant to ensure that standards of integrity among its staff are high enough to make it a credible voice in efforts against corruption in governments and other institutions.

http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/current.asp#33509

[anniegetyourgun]

You're absolutely right. We need to correct this immediately by sending in troops to restore order, unseat the leaders of the U.N. regime, and confiscate the records.

[joesnuffy]

nice spot for a new office tower
be sure to go through all the offices and collect the proof of the complicity between the UN and the other terrorist groups