University Dining Services: Ara-marked by problems at Minnesota?

Since the University of Minnesota's dining services have partnered with the Aramark Corporation, a Minnesota Daily investigation finds, trouble has followed. City Pages' own (can we still claim him?) Andy Mannix writes about substantial turnover, employee unrest and questionable practices.

Director of UDS Contract Administration Leslie Bowman says recent employee satisfaction surveys show a significantly positive shift toward a happier staff from past years.

But current and former UDS employees and one former Aramark assistant manager say UDS tampers with payroll records to remove pay for hours worked, and that some Aramark and UDS managers create an overtly “hostile” work environment that repels employees.

That's as close to a summary as you'll get here, but the research is voluminous and the product of six months of effort. Check it out.