WASHINGTON - Feb. 22, 2000--In a landmark victory for free speech on-the-job, the National Labor Relations Board recently negotiated a settlement with one of the nation’s largest employers, Sodexho-Marriott Services (SDH-NYSE).

Under the terms of the settlement, Sodexho-Marriott agreed to drop its work rules prohibiting employees from talking to outsiders about their working conditions or talking to each other at the work site before or after their shifts.

The settlement came about after the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board notified Sodexho-Marriott in December 1999 that the government would bring a civil prosecution for unfair labor practices unless Sodexho-Marriott dropped the illegal work rules.

Pursuant to the settlement, Sodexho-Marriott will amend its employee handbook by dropping the illegal rules. The company will also post federal notices at more than 5,000 US locations, declaring that employees have the right to join unions and are permitted to talk about their working conditions among themselves and with others. Additionally, Sodexho-Marriott must promise that it will not bar workers from worksites before or after their shifts.

The illegal rules first came to light during a labor dispute at the State University of New York in Albany, where Sodexho-Marriott manages campus food service operations.

“It is ironic that these illegal rules were in effect on hundreds of university campuses which are supposed to be bastions of free speech,” said Marty Leary, senior research analyst for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), the union which brought the illegal work rules to the NLRB’s attention. “University administrators should pay more attention to the labor policies of their subcontractors,” he said.
 

Leary says HERE and various student organizations plan to monitor Sodexho-Marriott’s compliance with the settlement “With the NLRB settlement, we’re hoping for a more enlightened approach to labor relations at Sodexho-Marriott,” he said.

Sodexho Marriott Services is the leading food and facilities management services company in North America.