Bringing Food Service In-House Leads to More & Better-Paying Jobs at Honda Center

The following press release came over the transom from Anaheim Arena Management (AAM), providing further proof that all the howling from UNITE-HERE Local 11, OCCORD, the OC Labor Federation (and those they’ve duped like Cynthia Ward) over AAM bringing food service in house is a lot of hooey:

ANAHEIM ARENA MANAGEMENT RELEASES FOOD & BEVERAGE EMPLOYMENT FACTS
New Division of the Organization has Increased Food & Beverage Jobs at Honda Center by 34%

ANAHEIM, Calif. (June 24, 2013) – Anaheim Arena Management (AAM), the management company of Honda Center in Anaheim, has released statistics associated with transitioning the food and beverage portion of its business in-house. The numbers reflect a 34% increase in the number of food and beverage positions at the venue and a net gain of 191 jobs. The information was made public to clarify unfounded and misleading statistics which have been presented by others as factual.

Total Positions
AAM’s new food and beverage operations at Honda Center will employ 756 part-time workers. Aramark’s stated number of Honda Center-based employees is 565. The additional positions are being added to improve the quality and speed of customer service and to staff the all-new Grand Terrace.

Wage Comparison
– Out of 35 like-for-like positions, approximately 83% of the positions have a higher, hourly starting wage.
– The average percentage increase in the hourly rates overall is 4%.

Timeline of Hiring Process
May 14, 2013
– Launch of On-Line Site For Interview Appointments- Honda Center Website, Honda Center’s social media outlets, Flyer to Aramark Team Members, Craigslist post, Communication Provided to Unite H.E.R.E Local 11, College & Career Postings
– Covered by KABC7 News, KTLA News, KTTV News, OC Register, OCFoodies.com.

May 22, 2013 – June 2, 2013 – First Interviews
– Eight days of scheduled interviews of prospective employees
– 3386 prospective employees scheduled for interviews

June 4, 2013 – June 12, 2013 – Second Interviews
– Five days of scheduled interviews of prospective employees
– 728 Recommended for hiring (job offers currently pending)

In addition, AAM previously released the following statement on May 16 in order to clarify the Company’s position on tax credits under the State of California’s Enterprise Zone program.

“To make the record perfectly clear, our decision to take food service in-house was based solely on our relentless pursuit of giving our customers the very best entertainment experience possible. It had nothing to do with California Enterprise Zone tax credits, which we never had any intention of utilizing,” said The Chairman of Anaheim Arena Management, Michael Schulman.

Well, what do you know? AAM brings the food service in-house as non-union jobs…and not only do those jobs pay more than the when the workers were UNITE-HERE members, but the jobs pay more!