For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2007

Contact:
Evan Thies, 917 715 9265

Striking Aramark Workers to March on Private Equity Annual Industry Meeting in New York

More than a dozen striking workers from Aramark, a private equity owned company that serves and prepares food in New York’s corporate dining rooms, will march on the conference to draw a stark comparison between the workers –some of whom are expected to raise their families on as little as $400 a week—and the excessive bonus, wages, and fees paid to private equity managers and their consultants.

The striking Aramark workers will join protesters dressed in rain coats to descend on Dow Jones’ annual Private Analyst Equity Outlook conference Tuesday armed with a stormy forecast for the ailing industry following a tumultuous year that saw worker and taxpayer advocates take buyout barons to task on the front pages of newspapers worldwide, affecting major deals at the highest levels.

Next year, the buyout industry can expect more of the same, protesters will say Tuesday.

The protesters will engage analysts and be available to media to speak about the industry and several upcoming fights that will further push the buyout industry to discuss how it impacts workers, quality and safety of services and products, and the tax dodges its dealmakers use to increase profits.

Looming fights for the buyout industry include:

• Nursing home residents, their families, and workers have united to make the Carlyle buyout of Manor Care, the nation’s largest nursing home chain, front page news, raising questions about whether Carlyle was qualified to take care of seniors
• Pension funds have already began looking at the high fees they are paying buyout managers and have indicated that will refuse to pay higher fees in the future should managers elect to pass on any additional taxes in the form of higher fees.
• Activists have begun monitoring their pension funds’ investments, looking to make sure they strictly adhere to responsible contractor policies and do not invest in funds that hurt their communities or benefit human rights abusers.
• Dealmakers who depend on Sovereign Wealth Funds as a new source of equity will have to withstand an in-depth investigation of their portfolio companies, as regulators, congressional committees and interest groups look for any potential conflicts of interest or threats to national security the deals may pose.

WHERE: Grand Hyatt, New York City – 109 East 42nd Street

WHEN: Tuesday, January 29th, 7:30 to 9:30 AM. (Note: Aramark workers will be at conference around 9:30.)