Faculty House Workers See Uncertain Future at Columbia

Workers at Columbia University's Faculty House remain unsure as to the future of their jobs after learning that planned renovations to the facility have been postponed by one year.

The workers union-UNITE HERE Local 100 which encompasses most of the workers in Faculty House-is still in talks with University administrators regarding the future of its members' jobs as the location remains open and further into the future. The union's contract with the University expired on Mar. 31, 2006.

"They [the University] don't make up their minds. They say they are closing this year, they say next year. ... They're just playing around with our futures," Jorge Caicedo, a cook at the facility, said. "There's lack of communication, especially with the management-I mean they never tell us anything," he added.

According to workers at Faculty House, union representatives met with the workers Monday evening where the union disclosed details of a possible contract that would offer the workers the choice of taking an undisclosed severance package or remaining as University employees in another food service department. If they accepted a move, they would lose their seniority should they be invited to return to Faculty House after its renovation. Since many of the employees have worked there over twenty years, they consider such a move a serious problem.

Faculty House "needs tremendous amounts of work on it to just bring it into the modern era," Rosemary Keane, assistant vice president for communications in the Division of Student Services, said in an interview. "Renovations are desperately needed."

In a statement, Keane said the renovations were postponed due to a "limited number of on-campus venues for holding events at Columbia."

Joe Ienuso, executive vice president for Facilities, said that the high volume of construction and renovation taking place on campus also contributed to the delays. "We don't like to say no but there is a limit to the amount of work that we can do at one time and there is a lot that's going on right now."

Ienuso also cited the proximity of another construction project-adding a floor to Jerome L. Greene Hall, which houses the Columbia Law School-as a factor in the decision to hold off on the renovations until next year.

Bahadur Tamang, a sous-chef at Faculty House who has worked at the facility for 25 years, agreed with the assessment of Caicedo. "The bosses didn't tell us what is going on," he said. Given the options presented by the University, he has decided to retire when the house closes.

"Nobody's ever secure about the decision [to close and renovate Faculty House], so it makes it hard," Linda Zucchelli, the evening hostess and a 20-year employee of Faculty House, said. "We need a contract to take care of us people who are still negotiating."

Both Keane and the shop stewards of UNITE HERE Local 100 declined to comment on the ongoing contract negotiations.

-Josh Hirschland contributed to this article.