An Elmhurst man is challenging one of the largest food and hospitality companies in the world over a practice he said unfairly kept him from a job.

Andrew Fidone believes that Philadelphia-based ARAMARK violated his employee rights by preventing him from taking a position with Elmhurst Community Unit District 205 after ARAMARK lost its contract with the district in the spring.

“I’ve consulted a lawyer, who believes I have a good case,” said Fidone, a lifelong Elmhurst resident and graduate of York Community High School.

In April, District 205 officials decided to bring the district’s hot-lunch program in-house. ARAMARK had provided school lunches for the last two-and-a-half years, but school officials thought an in-house program would offer better food and solve issues the district had with ARAMARK.

Fidone began working for ARAMARK about two years ago so his schedule would mirror those of his two children, both of whom attend District 205 and one of whom has special needs. His 13-year-old son, William, was born with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a developmental disorder similar to Down syndrome.

When the district parted with ARAMARK, Fidone assumed he could continue working at York as a district employee. In fact, the district sent a letter offering him a job, he said.

But district officials had to retract the offer because of a clause in its agreement with ARAMARK prohibiting them for at least 12 months from hiring employees who had worked in supervisory positions.

“The food service director sent him a letter, thinking to keep as many employees as possible, but didn’t understand, as a managerial or supervisory employee, (there is) a clause barring us from offering him employment at least for a year,” said Pat Masterton, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance.

Fidone, she said, was the food service manager at York.

Fidone disagreed. He said he was never given that title by ARAMARK.

“I was given supervisory tasks. Naturally, I got things thrown on me, but I never had a manager title,” he said. “I was never trained, and I’m the only one being excluded here.”

Almost a dozen other ARAMARK employees were offered jobs with District 205, he said. In any event, ARAMARK officials could waive that clause of the agreement for his sake, Fidone said.

“They offered positions that were 40 minutes away from here, but I need a job close to my children. Should my son have problems, I need to get to him. There’s all sorts of things with a special-needs child,” said Fidone.

Karen Cutler, director of communication for ARAMARK, said the company is following the terms and conditions of its contract with District 205. Requesting that clients refrain for a period of time from hiring certain ARAMARK employees if their contract ends is a “fairly standard procedure,” she said.

Masterton said Fidone was a good employee but that school officials’ hands are tied.

“From everything I’ve heard, he was very good at what he did,” she said. “His best bet is to see whether ARAMARK will release us from this part of the clause for him, and then we would look at it. Obviously, there’s not a lot we can do right now. It’s pretty clearly stated in the contract.”