“The restaurant industry is the nation’s largest private sector employer. Restaurants employ 12.5 million people today, and are expected to add 1.9 million new jobs between 2006 and 2016” (Restaurant Industry at a Glance). Contributing their services, restaurant employees allow NYC to function and grow, beginning with people’s stomachs. However, Americans of all backgrounds relate to the Restaurant Industry in more ways than just eating in them. It is an interesting fact to note that forty two percent of American adults have
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“Restaurant workers should not be forced to choose between taking care of themselves or of a sick child and getting a paycheck. But this is the sad reality.”
Policy Recommendation
“By bringing publicity to this issue is proving to be a successful tool in bringing about change.”
Apostolos Pittas
Researched Greek Restaurant Workers
Jennifer Bellisario
Researched Latino Restaurant Workers
About Us
Sharon Tran
Researched Chinese Restaurant Workers
Lori Holzman
Researched Chinese Restaurant Workers
Steven Goldman
Researched Chinese Restaurant Workers
Objective: To obtain paid sick days for all restaurant employees
“The city council of Madison Wisconsin nearly passed a paid sick days bill but lost by a single vote. Despite the failure, the bill’s publicity helped citizens and employers become informed of the problem.”
“I guarantee that a similar bill can be passed in a liberal state like New York. Evidence supporting this claim can be found in the opposition’s passivity. When a paid sick day law was passed in San Francisco in February 2007 it received a 61 percent support from the voters. The Restaurant Association that should have been the one to oppose the law did nothing”
“The association’s vice president noted, “to be honest, if we fight it, we look like complete jerks.” The benefits supporting such a law are clear and overwhelming. All we need is the initiative.”
worked in the Restaurant Industry, with twenty eight percent getting their first job experience in a restaurant (Restaurant Industry at a Glance). Restaurant employees are in fact representatives of the American spirit and work ethic. However, the difficulties and injustices they face on the job are often overlooked by government officials and the public today.
avoid such negative externalities every worker should be guaranteed certain rights that insure his or her protection. Paid sick days should be one of these rights. Restaurant workers should not be forced to choose between taking care of themselves or of a sick child and getting a paycheck. But this is the sad reality. Roughly one half of hte private sector workers in the U.S. do not have paid sick days.
“When you work hard, you should be able to care for yourself and your family. This is a fundamental American belief.”(CLASP, 2007) Yet there continue to exist many problems within the Restaurant Industry in New York. For every time a worker is mistreated there are spill-over effects that are of concern and affect all of us. To
A New York survey found that 84 percent of restaurant workers do not have paid sick days and 70 percent often do not have vacation time at all. Apostolos Pittas wrote a policy recommendation to help improve working conditions for all restaurant employees within New York City.
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