Pomona dining hall workers and students delegate to Assistant Vice President of HR to demand rehiring of Rolo Araiza 

On Feb. 12, a united front of over 55 students and dining hall workers gathered at the Pomona HR office to delegate to Alejandra Gaytan, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources in support of Rolo Araiza, a shop steward and union leader, who was unjustly fired after working at Pomona College’s dining hall since he was 16 years old. 

Araiza was illegitimately fired from his job in the dining hall’s kitchen on Jan. 29 for technicalities with clocking-in . During the delegation, his coworkers testified against HR claims that got him terminated, speaking on the vital role Araiza played in the union as a leader and organizer . 

Bryan Gutknecht , Araiza’s coworker, stated, “he’s had to cover shifts, cook two shifts, cook three shifts. He’s been working 567 days straight, nonstop, and for him to not be able to grieve properly for his loss … I can attest to him being there. So please give him another shot.” 

In January, Pomona College lost a long-time kitchen worker, Felipa Sanchez Hernandez, one who was a mother-figure to Araiza. The college did not publicly share any information about or grievances for the late employee and workers like Arriaza had to continue working through the loss. 

Nayeli Arizpe SC ‘26, a student worker at the Coop, also spoke in support of Araiza. 

“It is disheartening to see that Pomona continues to treat their workers as disposable when a worker like Rolo has been here for as long as a lot of us students have been alive. For an institution that deeply values community building, why do you continue to attack the existing communities? Rolo is a part of our community, and we are demanding that you reinstate him immediately,” she said. 

Elias Pluecker PO ‘28 then spoke on behalf of the Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) and the general student body. 

“We can see that this is union busting.” he said. “ We know he did not no show, no call, [or] no show to work. We know he had been at work. We know he’s being attacked because of the role he plays [as a] union organizer, and we know this is especially due to the timing of the contract expiration this summer, in June.” 

Pomona dining hall workers are set to renegotiate their contract in June, four years after their last negotiation in October 2022. During the last negotiation, Pomona’s dining hall workers went on strike and won a $7.50 raise after rejecting the school’s proposed $1.35 raise. 

Pomona also has a history of firing workers unjustly, especially those involved in union organizing. In December 2011, Pomona fired 17 workers after investigating employees’ legal status. This termination and check for legal working status occurred while the dining hall workers were first unionizing. Although the College claimed these terminations were for illegal employment, 16 out of the 17 workers fired were dining hall employees, the majority being the workers helping in the unionization efforts. The college even banned students from talking to the workers during meal break to constrain union organizing. 

Since Araiza’s termination, CSWA began a petition that currently has over 900 student signatures. The petition was then presented to the Associated Students of Pomona (ASPC) on Feb. 12, who unanimously passed a resolution to reinstate Araiza immediately. As the community of students and workers is proud and grateful for the resolution, this is not the first time and will certainly not be the last time the institution attempts to weaken the union before the contract renewal. 

“It’s horse shit, and they want to get rid of every single union organizer [every] shop steward. Because why do we have a contract fight, and we have a fight ahead of us, and we’re gonna need every single person with us on that fight,” Marie Ocampo, another one of Arraiza’s coworkers, said at the end of the delegation.