On Nov. 17, the Brandeis Leftist Union (BLU) held an “emergency action to support dining workers,” according to a post on their Instagram. The protest was held because, according to the BLU, dining workers are not being given their vacation time fair and square. The BLU added that if workers want to take their vacations, “they must wait a year to take them!”

The delegation started at 2:30 p.m. in Upper Usdan, near Louis’ Deli, and moved by the entrance to Usdan Kitchen in Lower Usdan. The delegation included BLU members, dining workers and interested students. Clayton Hargrove and several other Harvest Table administrators were also in attendance. Protesters chanted their demands, saying “What do we want? Vacation! When do we want it? Now,” and “If we don’t get it? Shut it down!”

According to one anonymous onlooker, “You could tell the Harvest Table guy [Clayton Hargrove] was nervous.”

One BLU member mentioned that, to attend the delegation, workers had to use their break time for the day. Members of the delegation mentioned that if they didn’t receive an update on their vacation time by the end of the day today, the delegation would return again tomorrow.

According to a post on the BLU’s Instagram from after the protest, “Harvest Table, despite having a WEEK to respond, said that they would give a response later today. This is both disrespectful and calculated and is clearly an attempt to avoid the demands of workers.” They added that “If the demands of the dining workers for vacation time are not responded to by the deadline at 8pm tonight we will be joining workers again TOMORROW at 2:30pm in Usdan once again to confront Harvest Table and demand that they give workers the vacation time that they have earned and deserve!”

Editor’s note: Due to our publication cycle, if there is another delegation on Friday, Nov. 18, it will not receive coverage in The Hoot until Friday, Dec. 2.