UNITED
NATIONS, April
18 -- After
this week's
reception and
panel
discussion
in the
renovated UN
Delegates'
Lounge, many
have asked
Inner City
Press when
that space, as
the UN's bar,
and the fourth
floor
Delegates'
Dining Room
will “really
re-open.”
Both
are run by Aramark,
which remains
the UN's
contractor.
And for
years
now, Aramark
has been
providing less
and less, and
worse and
worse,
service under
the contract,
with no
response from
the UN. From
high
to this low,
and slip
and fall,
is it
any wonder
this mis-run
UN can't
solve world
problems,
even adds
to them?
Aramark
reduced
the
Headquarters
building
cafeteria's
hours, now
closing at 4
pm, even as
the building
fills back up.
Aramark has
now closed the
cafeterias
across First
Avenue in
UNICEF and
UNDP, while
continuing
to claim that
renovation
work is
ongoing.
Workers
for
Aramark, many
of whom have
been
furloughed or
laid off,
confide
to
Inner City
Press they've
been told
Aramark will
not re-open
the
Delegates'
Dining Room
for lunch
service
until...
September,
preferring to
only use the
(UN) space for
catered
events.
And
that's it --
the working
theory is that
Aramark
makes big
money on
catering,
because it
charges steep
prices for
outside
special events,
but makes less
on operating
retail
concessions:
the
cafeterias,
coffee shops,
perhaps the
Delegates'
Lounge bar.
So
the UN is
allowing
Aramark to
make their big
profits but
also
allowing them
to save money
by reducing or
eliminating
services, and
letting them
lay off or
furlough
workers. But
the UN makes
misleading
statements to
those
supposedly
served by its
contracts and
contractor.
On
February 22,
the UN said
“the UNICEF
and DC-1
cafeterias
will close
to allow
renovation
work to take
place. Both
cafeterias
will be
closed from 3
p.m. on
Thursday 21
February 2013
and will
reopen at
8:30 a.m. on
Friday 15
March 2013.”
On
March 14, the
UN announced
“Due to
unforeseen
delays in the
renovation
work being
carried out in
the UNICEF and
UNDC-1
cafeterias,
both
facilities
will remain
closed until 8
April 2013.”
On
April 5, the
UN said, “Due
to unforeseen
delays in the
renovation
work being
carried out in
the UNICEF and
UNDC-1
cafeterias,
both
facilities
will remain
closed until
further
notice.”
And
so it goes at
the UN.
Meanwhile,
underground,
not only is
parking
shrinking, but
the UN Garage
Administration
is openly
telling people
they are park
wherever they
want: “Garage
Administration
will again
allow, when
the garage is
at full
capacity,
vehicles to
park in areas
not normally
designated for
parking.” Ah,
egress..
Again,
is
it any wonder
this mis-run
UN can't solve
world
problems, even
adds
to
them?
Watch this
site.
, 
