Today, Bernie Sanders led 33 of his colleagues in a letter calling on the Compass Group, the company that employs Senate cafeteria and catering workers, to respect their right to organize.

(The immediate employer is Restaurant Associates, but that is a subsidiary of the Compass Group.)

In August, the NLRB found Restaurant Associates to be in violation of labor law when supervisors retaliated against workers who went on strike.

All but 12 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus signed on to the letter. Here are those 12:

Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Joe Donnelly (D-IN)

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Angus King (I-ME)

Joe Manchin (D-WV)

Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

Bill Nelson (D-FL)

Jon Tester (D-MT)

Tom Udall (D-NM)

Mark Warner (D-VA)

Here is the full text of the letter:

Richard John Cousins

CEO, Compass Group

Compass House

Guildford Street

Chertsey

surrey KTI6 9 BQ

United Kingdom

Dear Mr. Cousins:

We write to express our concern about the treatment of U.S. Senate cafeteria and catering employees of Restaurant Associates. Employees working full time in the U.S. Senate should not be living in poverty. Yet with the cost of living in the Washington metropolitan area among the highest in the United States, there have been numerous reports of Senate cafeteria workers forced to rely on public assistance programs, and in at least one instance, forced into homelessness. WE believe these individuals need a voice in their workplace to ensure basic rights, such as a living wage and access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Over the past year, your employees at the United States Senate and Capitol Visitor Center cafeteria have repeatedly protested against low wages and poor working conditions. These protests have attracted negative publicity not only to your company, but to the institution of the Senate.

One of the workers’ central demands is the right to form a union without pressure or intimidation. Troublingly, we have heard from employees that Restaurant Associates’ managers have resorted to coercive tactics to oppose workers’ labor organizing efforts that are contrary to domestic labor laws and the stated policies and values of your company.

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has already found merit in the charges regarding the discriminatory and intimidating behaviors by managers at Restaurant Associates. Although Restaurant Associates settled these charges by promising to end further unlawful intimidation, it has been reported that within weeks, Restaurant Associates’ President Ed Sirhal took advantage of the Senate recess to hold a meeting with workers to discourage their organizing campaign.

The time has come for the Compass Group to ensure Senate cafeteria workers have a model employer that addresses its workers’ legitimate concerns. We request therefore that the Compass Group commit to reaching an agreement with the union seeking to organize these workers, which would commit the Compass Group to: first, rigorously abide by its obligations under U.S. labor law to refrain from intimidation and discrimination against employees seeking to join a union; second, terminate any manager who engages in or directs unlawful conduct; third, refrain from pressuring and intimidating workers in an attempt to prevent them from unionizing; and fourth, recognize the union as the worker’s exclusive bargaining representative on the basis of majority representation of signed authorization cards.

Such free and fair organizing agreements are used by major U.S. corporations to amicably resolve disputes arising from labor organizing drives. In fact, as recently as two years ago, Restaurant Associates food-service workers at Washington, DC’s Smithsonian Museum achieved collective bargaining rights under precisely such an agreement—we see no reason why the situation at the Senate cannot be resolved in the same manner.

The U.S. Senate should serve as a model employer, and the workers who support the work of the U.S. Senate must be given the respect and opportunities they deserve. We stand ready to work with you to achieve this goal and will continue to monitor this matter closely.

Sincerely,