Indian American state Senator Nikil Saval arrested

Pennsylvania lawmaker arrested with dozens of protesting Aramark workers says, “Their fight is my fight”

By DesiMax Wire

Pennsylvania’s Indian American State Senator Nikil Saval was among dozens of people arrested last week during a protest, calling for better wages and health care, outside Aramark’s headquarters in Philadelphia.

Workers fighting for a new contract and wage increases forced the closure of the Market Street Bridge between Center City and University City, near Aramark’s headquarters.

The June 12 rally, organized by the labor union Unite Here, aimed to highlight the poor wages and inadequate healthcare benefits provided to concessions workers at Philadelphia’s major sports venues.

“It’s important to put your body on the line and show you care. And frankly, enough is enough. The company needs to come back to the table, bargain fairly,” Saval stated.

“They work year-round at these stadiums, but they don’t reliably get healthcare. They’ve been fighting for a wage increase. We need family-sustaining jobs. We need jobs with real healthcare.”

“The labor of Unite Here workers is a crucial part of what makes Philadelphia great,” he added. “They work year-round—in the blistering cold, in the sweltering heat—to ensure Philly’s residents and visitors enjoy the best possible experiences.

“And in return, Aramark has repeatedly devalued their labor, leaving them forced to choose between feeding their families, keeping their homes, or seeking potentially lifesaving medical care. I refuse to let my constituents be mistreated by a wealthy corporation that gets richer every year from exploiting their labor. Their fight is my fight. I’m with them until they’re paid the wages and benefits they deserve.”

Aramark, an international company with revenue exceeding $18 billion in 2023, manages food and beverage concessions at Philadelphia’s stadiums.

It has proposed a minimal wage increase of only 25 cents for workers at the Wells Fargo Center. Additionally, Aramark’s healthcare proposal has been criticized for leaving many year-round workers either uninsured or dependent on government healthcare programs.

Saval’s parents immigrated to the US from Bangalore. In 1982, the year Saval was born, his parents opened a pizza restaurant, where Saval spent much of his childhood and adolescence.

The employees of the restaurant were immigrants of all statuses, and Saval’s parents helped many of them secure documentation. His family’s experiences, as immigrants and as small business owners, were formative for Saval, giving shape to his perspective on workers’ rights and his first experiences with solidarity.

Saval has focused his legislative work on critical response to Pennsylvania’s ongoing housing, mass incarceration, wage, and climate crises.