If Aramark employees want to continue working at UNM, they will need to apply to the new food-service company.
About 200 food-service employees can stay and work for Chartwells or relocate to another location served by Aramark.
In March, the Board of Regents unanimously voted to give the University's food-service contract to Chartwells, choosing not to renew an eight-year contract with Aramark.
Chartwells will begin its service at UNM on June 1.
Charles Twohy, regional vice president for Chartwells, said employees must reapply if they want to continue working on campus.
"By law, you have to fill out an application to work for a company," he said. "The law states that any time you have a job, you have to apply. So, that's the law of the land, and we go through the steps just as the law of the land tells us to do."
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Bernadette Zamora, night manager for Chick-fil-A in the SUB, said nobody has explained the reapplication process.
"It doesn't feel fair for me to have to reapply," she said. "It doesn't feel fair, because I've been here so long. All the years of experience that I have should count for something."
Zamora said she was confused about what will happen next.
"The store manager hasn't really told us much," she said. "She said if we wanted to stay here, we could stay here, but we have to reapply to get our positions back."
Twohy said the company will talk to Aramark employees this week.
Chartwells will not impose a decision deadline on UNM's food-service employees, he said.
"All the employees, we expect, will transition with us," he said. "Some associates may decide to continue working with Aramark at another location. Aramark has other business locations in New Mexico, so (employees) may say, 'Well, I've enjoyed working with Aramark, so I'm going to stay with them.'"
Kristine Grow, spokeswoman for Aramark, said her company will take good care of the employees who choose to relocate.
"We will be happy to work with them to find an alternate location for them," she said.
Twohy said Aramark employees should not be worried.
"It's important to make the associates that are currently working there feel comfortable that the company that is coming in is a good company - that it will keep their seniority intact and respect the work they've already done on the campus," he said.
Zamora said she would go with whichever company offered the best benefits.
"I wouldn't mind staying here, though," she said. "I really like working here."
