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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: Mark Felton
I keep searching for the HUMOR/SATIRE category listing... and ONLY served the main course! Shocking!
61 posted on 05/03/2003 3:10:03 PM PDT by Libertina
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To: George W. Bush
I'm hoping there'll be some coverage Sunday AM.

62 posted on 05/03/2003 3:17:56 PM PDT by visualops ("To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them..." -George Mason)
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To: MSRiverdog
Dad, you have to see this article!
63 posted on 05/03/2003 3:19:20 PM PDT by abner
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To: Joe Hadenuf
Why does ISRAEL still belong to the virulently and unabashedly anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish, and anti-Israeli organization, the United Nations?
64 posted on 05/03/2003 3:28:39 PM PDT by dufekin (Peace HAS COME AT LONG LAST to the tortured people of Iraq!)
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To: Mark Felton
When the UN points at the US, they forget they have three fingers pointing back at themselves.
65 posted on 05/03/2003 3:32:47 PM PDT by Flightdeck
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More UN integrity on display
66 posted on 05/03/2003 3:33:31 PM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
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To: CyberAnt; All
Excuse me ... aren't these the same people WHO WERE SCREEMING AT US ABOUT THE LOOTING OF THE MUSEUM ...??

This is pathetic!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

They should be put in charge of the rebuilding of Iraq, they'd feel right at home!
67 posted on 05/03/2003 3:50:26 PM PDT by GeorgiaYankee
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To: hellinahandcart
They're exempt from sales tax too

What law gives them the right to be exempt from sales tax for crying out loud? That's outrageous.

68 posted on 05/03/2003 3:51:53 PM PDT by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty" not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: Mark Felton
UN composed of many countries with repressive governments. Now they are proven to be out and out thieves and crooks. Is it any wonder the UN has such a dismal record in dealing with world problems such as Iraq, Rawanda, Cambodia, the Balkans, and on and on?

And also is it any wonder most Americans want to scuttle the UN completely? Then New York can rent the space to givers instead of takers.

69 posted on 05/03/2003 3:52:19 PM PDT by LaGrone
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To: CyberAnt
Great Point, and they will probably blame President Bush for the UN looting.

Excuse me ... aren't these the same people WHO WERE SCREEMING AT US ABOUT THE LOOTING OF THE MUSEUM ...??

70 posted on 05/03/2003 4:00:40 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (Being a Monthly Donor to Free Republic is the Right Thing to do!)
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To: Mark Felton
Hmmmm! If this story is real will they now shut up about the U.S. supposedly allowing looting of the Baghdad Museum?
71 posted on 05/03/2003 4:18:06 PM PDT by barker (Time to get the U.S. out of the UN.)
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To: FreedomCalls
I have no idea why they're exempt but they are, always have been as far as I know. Diplos and their spouses are exempt from sales tax in New York City. They have ID cards with a tax-exemption # on it, which they are supposed to present when buying anything. Hopefully before the cashier has already rung up the items *with* tax, as happened over and over with me.

They don't pay their parking tickets either, but they're not actually exempt from that. They just don't pay and not much can be done to them.

Did you see the SNL parody of the UN Security Council a few months back? The Chinese ambassador said "I propose we all take our stretch limousines over to Fifth Avenue and park perpendicular to the sidewalks!"
72 posted on 05/03/2003 4:26:28 PM PDT by hellinahandcart
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BTTT
73 posted on 05/03/2003 4:28:03 PM PDT by Fraulein
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To: CyberAnt; Mark Felton
Excuse me ... aren't these the same people WHO WERE SCREEMING AT US ABOUT THE LOOTING OF THE MUSEUM ...??

Just Amazing! They are totally AMORAL!!!

74 posted on 05/03/2003 4:29:35 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Another round of debate coming up on the Global Warming Hoax)
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To: Mark Felton
There's something I've been fantasizing about for a long time: Given the power, I would muster a battalion of Marines at the UN :armed,locked and loaded, bayonets fixed.

I would have a 2nd Battalion : heavily armed, and wearing MP gear, waiting outside with empty busses.

At my command ( seconded of course by most of us here )the troops would go from the top to the bottom of the UN, driving all occupants out at bayonet point.

Once outside, the occupants would be asked to show proof of diplomatic status. Those with DP status would be handcuffed on the spot, and bundled into the busses - after their ID cards were shredded , and they were advised of loss of status, and impending deportation.

The loaded busses would be driven in a heavily guarded convoy to McGuire AFB in NJ ( or Stewart AFB in Newburgh,NY ), where the (former) UN Diplomats would be hustled aboard converted cargo planes, and flown to an appropriate destination ( Belfast ? Mexico City ? Havana ?)

All those who had been "mere employees" at the UN, and who had US citizenship, would be handed the equivalent of one year's wages, and counselled to start looking for honest work. Those who were NOT US citizens, would be deported forthwith to their countries of origin, with the suggestion they seek termination benefits from their home nations.

Once the building had been emptied, cleaned, and de-odorized , it would be turned by SeaBees into the world's fanciest, and best equipped homeless shelter - with a special room reserved for Mayor Bloomberg.

Help me out here, Freepers !

Have I left anything out ?

Meds ! Meds ! Where are my meds ??

75 posted on 05/03/2003 4:34:35 PM PDT by genefromjersey (Gettin' too old to "play nice" !)
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To: hellinahandcart
The Clintons sure did their part to bring some class to this country didn't they? Problem is, it was all LOW class.
76 posted on 05/03/2003 4:41:55 PM PDT by sweetliberty ("Having the right to do a thing is not at all the same thing as being right in doing it.")
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To: Mark Felton
Lovin' it! Bump.
77 posted on 05/03/2003 4:42:09 PM PDT by keats5
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To: keats5
I heard this on Fox News. Like someone said, I hope someone has pictures of this for the news, and I hope O'Reilly, et al report on this. I pray we and Israel get out of the UN and kick all those people out of our country.
78 posted on 05/03/2003 5:11:43 PM PDT by maranatha
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To: TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!
You gotta read this!
79 posted on 05/03/2003 5:14:50 PM PDT by Fraulein
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BTTT
80 posted on 05/03/2003 5:30:59 PM PDT by Fraulein
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