2 weeklypress.com · ucreview.com · october 17• 2012 Philly’s restaurant industry continued from page 1


cent since 1990 while overall private sector employment in the city rose 10 percent. But as a new study by the Res- taurant Opportunities Center of Philadelphia (ROC) shows, most of the new jobs are not good ones. According to the report, which was released to the public Oct. 10 at a summit at Tequila’s Restaurant in Center City, employment in Philadelphia’s restaurant industry comes with low wages, no benefits, and a poor work environment char- acterized by low morale and high turnover. The ROC’s report found that 62.1 percent of restaurant workers earn wages too low to support a family of three and that 92.8 percent receive no paid sick time, a figure above the na- tional average for restaurant workers. Even fewer have ac- cess to employer-sponsored health insurance. On top of this, average real wages in the restaurant industry fell in the decade from 2001 to 2011, dropping by 11 percent while private sector pay overall rose eight percent. The resulting low morale and high turnover increases


costs to the employer and the public and puts both fellow workers’ and the public’s health at risk. Because of the absence of paid sick time, nearly two-thirds – 64.6 per- cent – of restaurant workers worked while sick. Of those, 42.3 percent coughed or sneezed while handling food and 33.4 percent passed their illness on to other workers, setting off a vicious cycle. Because of the absence of job security and the working conditions, restaurant work- ers find themselves subject to arbitrary work rules, wild swings in hours depending on conditions, and harsh treatment. Allinger has expe- rienced all of the above in her current job. “I’ve been repri- manded for talking too much and lost some of my hours,” she said. “In most restaurants I’ve worked in, it’s pretty relaxed and [the owners and managers] let you talk to other employees; it’s a social atmosphere. My boss here is very strict and doesn’t want his employees talking to each other at all. Because I had personal conversations when there were no [diners] there, he took several of my shifts


away. He’s done that to other people as well, and even fired them for talking,” she maintains.


Her work hours eventu-


ally returned to their usual level because high turnover at the restaurant allegedly made it necessary for the manager to give her more work, a not atypical situation at her restaurant: “The boss yelled at one person publicly for talking and cut his hours, but he’s now working six days a week again because there was no one else to work the hours. “There’s a huge turnover because there’s not high mo- rale in the restaurant. Work- ers don’t feel appreciated there, so they look for other jobs.”


This “low road to profitabil- ity,” in the words of the ROC report, actually increases costs to employers. Tequila’s was chosen as the site for the summit because it is one of the local restaurants that has taken the high road: It pays its staff decent wages, offers paid sick time and health insurance with employer contributions, and offers staff opportunities to ad- vance within the restaurant. Taking the “high road” low- ers turnover and improves morale, reducing costs to the


employer, and keeps workers out of hospital emergency rooms and off public health care, saving money for the public. The report, “Behind the Kitchen Door: The Hidden


Reality of Philadelphia’s Thriving Restaurant In- dustry,” also reveals the existence of widespread discrimination in the indus- try: Nonwhites are dispro- portionately concentrated in


INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES COMPETITIVE PRICES!


lower-paying positions. The gap between white and non- white median wages is $2.29 - $11.29 for whites and $9.00 for workers of color – and that for white women is even greater: white women’s me- dian wages are $11.47 while those for women of color are only $8.00. Wage and hour violations and a lack of safety training are also widespread in the industry, according to the report: 57.9 percent of those surveyed reported experiencing overtime wage violations and 40 percent said they worked “off the clock” without pay. Allinger noted that at her restaurant, employees must pass a series of four increasingly difficult tests before they are allowed to keep 100 percent of the tips they make, and even then, a portion of the tips go to the back-of-house staff – the bussers and dishwashers – a common industry practice. The ROC report contains a number of specific recom- mendations for policymakers, employers, employees and restaurant patrons aimed at making restaurant employ- ment more sustainable. Among them: enforcement of existing employment laws, raising the minimum wage, adoption of fair employment practices by employers, and provision of paid sick leave. Allinger summed up the problem in one word: re- spect. “Have respect for your employees. You can be pro- fessional and relaxed at the same time. It also improves morale to have some con- sistency in scheduling. And treat your employees fairly in relation to each other. In a lot of restaurants, owners will treat employees differ- ently depending on their job, their race, their age and their immigration status. It’s bet- ter all around if you treat all your employees fairly and at the same time recognize long- standing and hard-working employees by giving them more hours and opportuni- ties to advance.”


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The Restaurant Opportuni- ties Center of Philadelphia is part of a national organiza- tion, Restaurant Opportuni- ties Centers United, which organizes restaurant workers to advocate for fair treatment and decent working condi- tions. The report was pro- duced by ROC in partnership with the Restaurant Industry Coalition, an alliance of aca- demics, restaurant workers and progressive organiza- tions. We were unable to reach industry representa- tives for comment prior to deadline.


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