Union group questions food service practices at Kane County jail

Aramark, the Kane County jail's longtime food service vendor, has come under fire by a union-affiliated group.

Four representatives of the Campaign for Quality Services, a group formed by two labor organizations, on Tuesday asked the Kane County Board to examine its contract with Aramark in light of complaints against the company filed across the country.

Aramark is accused of billing the Florida Department of Corrections for meals that were never prepared or eaten and failing to pass on the cost savings for serving less expensive food items to inmates, according to an analysis conducted by Florida's inspector general last year.

Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said he is aware of those and other complaints against Philadelphia-based Aramark, which has provided food to county jail inmates since at least 1996. Perez said he and his staff are evaluating Aramark and other vendors in light of the jail's pending relocation from Geneva to a new building in St. Charles Township.

"Obviously moving into the new facility, we're reviewing all of our operations. The kitchen is one of them," Perez said. "It's entirely possible that we're going to open this up to bid. … This may be an opportunity for us to look and see could we get better service and could we get it for a better price."

An Aramark spokeswoman dismissed the Campaign for Quality Services' concerns, saying the group is interested only in increasing union membership.

Campaign for Quality Services is a joint project of the Service Employees International Union and UNITE-HERE, the union that formed upon the merging of the former Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union.

"What you're really seeing in reality doesn't have anything to do with Aramark or Kane County or the taxpayers of Kane County," said spokeswoman Kristine Grow, adding that the two unions "have announced that they are working to organize the entire service industry nationwide. This is a campaign that's been going on for quite some time, and they're becoming more aggressive in their efforts to organize."

Grow said Aramark responded to complaints involving its service with the Florida Corrections Department, which continues to use Aramark.

"The allegations that they are making are entirely without merit," Grow said.

Last month three Kane County jail inmates filed a $2 million lawsuit against Aramark and Perez over the food served in the jail, which they said is "served cold and most times, bread, cookies and cakes are served soggy due to wet and cracked trays."