Aramark Campus Dining Workers Picket ASU Campuses, Demand Contract Improvements

Dozens of Aramark dining-hall workers staged a picket line outside Arizona State University’s Memorial Union in Tempe, while union and local reporting said hundreds of cooks, cashiers, dishwashers and baristas across all four ASU Arizona campuses did not clock in on Feb. 18, 2026 to press for higher pay and improved benefits. UNITE HERE Local 11 framed the action as a “Welcome Back” picket timed with the spring semester return and warned workers could walk out at any moment if talks fail to produce a fair contract.

At the Tempe Memorial Union a few dozen workers sat outside at about noon with signs and chants, and some striking workers danced to a Selena Quintanilla song, images and on-site reporting showed. Statepress photo captions identified Aramark workers at the Tempe campus during the Feb. 18 action, and Azcentral listed a “Portrait of Helen Rummel” among its images from the scene.

Pickets were not limited to Tempe. Statepress reported pickets at Taylor Mall on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus, and Azcentral said employees picketed at ASU campuses “across the Valley,” describing “hundreds” of workers who did not clock into work that day. The roles named in union and media accounts included baristas, food servers, dishwashers, catering servers, cooks, cashiers and dishwashers.

The walkout follows a contract fight that has been active since the dining hall workers' collective bargaining agreement expired at the end of August 2025. Statepress noted workers began protesting in October over alleged surveillance and intimidation by management, and on Nov. 17 employees overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike before the Feb. 18 escalation.

Workers made specific demands at the pickets. Annabelle Vasquez, an ASU dining hall worker, said employees are striking to demand “higher pay and benefits such as health insurance and pensions.” Victoria Stahl, communications organizer at UNITE HERE Local 11, framed the grievances broadly: “Everybody here is fighting for something,” Stahl said. “Whether it be better wages so they can afford their bills and to raise their family, or ... want to have a pension to be able to retire.”

UNITE HERE Local 11, which says it “represents over 32,000 workers employed in hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas, and convention centers throughout Southern California and Arizona,” used Instagram and TikTok to amplify the message. Instagram posts urged supporters not to cross picket lines and called for Aramark to “revisit their contracts, raise wages, and treat workers with the dignity and respect they deserve.” Another Instagram post warned “🚨ASU DINING HALL WORKERS ON STRIKE 🚨 @aramark is on notice for serious allegations of wage theft and labor violations that demand urgent attention,” language mirrored in a TikTok message urging campus supporters to stop by the Downtown or Tempe picket lines.

Aramark responded with written comments from spokesperson Heather Dotchel, saying the company is committed to reaching a settlement that “works for all parties.” Dotchel also said, “We have contingency plans in place to ensure our services are not interrupted and that the student dining experience remains strong,” as negotiations continue.

Student groups including Students for Justice in Palestine at ASU and the Student Worker Alliance at ASU posted on social media urging followers not to dine at the POD market or dining halls during the action. With the contract expired and bargaining ongoing, union organizers and workers signaled the Feb. 18 pickets were an escalation in a dispute that could expand again if Aramark and UNITE HERE Local 11 do not reach an agreement.