Actor Danny Glover and 11 other people were arrested Friday when protesting Sodexo, a French based food service company with U.S. headquarters in Maryland. The protesters, which included both Americans and French workers, were there because they feel that the company has been treating their workers unfairly.
Glover and the others were arrested when they stepped past the yellow police tape. Montgomery Country police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks said that the protesters were asked three times to step back from the company headquarters, but were arrested after refusing. The twelve protesters were issued trespassing citations and released from custody. However, they may still be looking at a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail for the infraction.
Glover told the crowd before the headquarters “We’re here today to say no more to deplorable pay and working conditions.” He also added, “This is a global corporation with global responsibility and we are going to hold them accountable to that responsibility.” In support of the cafeteria workers, who claim to be underpaid with few benefits, the crowd chanted “No Justice, No Pizza.”
This is not the first time Glover has been involved in activism. As a member of the Black Students Union while in college, Glover was part of a student walkout to establish the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University. Glover was arrested in 2004 when protesting the Darfur humanitarian crisis outside the Sudan Embassy in Washington, D.C. In the past, Glover has supported any unions in the past including the United Farm Workers, Workers United Union, and UNITE HERE!
He encouraged such celebrities as Sean Penn and Quentin Tarantino to boycott Hugo Boss by not wearing their suits to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. He was protesting Hugo Boss because they had announced plant closings which would lay off 300 workers.
Sodexo has said the protesters and union were spreading misinformation.