Three employees who work at Lavish Roots cafeterias serving Meta and other Eastside campuses used the city's public-comment period to describe workplace problems and fears tied to a union organizing effort.
Juliet Dutcher, a lead cook, said she and co-workers have tried to organize and thanked the council for sending a letter asking Meta and Lavish to remain neutral. "If you guys could show more support for myself and my community at work, that would be great," she said.
Adam Koch, a prep cook, told the council managers and supervisors have not adequately addressed harassment complaints, and he described mandatory meetings managers used to urge employees to oppose the union. "Managers have been kicking us out of buildings," Koch said, and he described being told he could no longer enter a cafeteria for talking with co-workers about the union. He said layoffs earlier in the year left remaining staff with heavier workloads.
Johanna Bandler, a front-of-house lead and prep cook, said coworkers who are recent refugees and others who have family overseas fear taking part in organizing: "They've told me that the workload in the dish room is so bad that they've considered returning home to their war-torn country ... but they've also said that they fear being deported if it is discovered that they've signed a union card or took part in the organizing." She said managers and campus security had told workers that "it is Meta's policy that union activity cannot take place on Meta property."
Council response: Councilmembers present had no immediate formal action on the floor. Multiple councilmembers previously signed a letter urging employer neutrality in the organizing effort; the three speakers thanked the council for that step but said the behavior described by workers had not stopped.
Context and limits: Speakers requested council support and asked the city to elevate their message. No formal city-initiated investigation or enforcement action was announced during the meeting; the speakers' remarks were part of the public-comment period and reflect personal accounts reported directly to the council.