An organisation of
restaurant workers is suing Darden Restaurants, the largest full-service
restaurant group in the world, in U.S. federal court, alleging widespread
racial discrimination and illegal labour practices.
Darden Restaurants employs 179,000 workers in 1,900
locations in the U.S. and Canada. It owns, among other chains, Olive Garden,
Red Lobster and Longhorn Steaks. The focal chain in the suit is Capital Grille,
the finest and most expensive of Darden's restaurants.
"Workers from the Capital Grille have decided to raise
their collective voice and tell Darden that they deserve dignity on the
job," John Cronan Jr., lead organiser for the Restaurant Opportunities Center
of New York, told IPS.
"Darden has the ability and resources to provide, good,
just, and fair working conditions and jobs for thousands of workers. We are
saying that it should do so," Cronan said.
"The top one percent and Wall Street are doing better
than ever," Stephanie Mueller, a spokesperson for ROC, added.
"Darden made profits last year of more than a half
billion dollars for their big stockholders like J.P. Morgan and State Street
Bank," she told IPS. "The money is there, the problem is that it is
not going to those who do the work and cook and serve the food every day."
The Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) served Darden with
a formal complaint at the main Capital Grille location in midtown New York City
on Monday. Workers, organisers and supporters crowded into the high- end
restaurant in a show of support, while Omar Camara, a line cook at Capital
Grille, handed the letter to his manager.
"I was pretty nervous at first, and thought they might
just fire me," Camara said after the letter drop, "But all of these
people here with me made me feel strong, and I know this is an important
thing."
ROC accuses Darden of racism and various violations of state
and federal labour practices. According to ROC and workers at Capital Grille
locations in New York, Chicago and Washington D.C., high-paying
"front-of-the-house" jobs such as waiters, bartenders and hosts are
reserved for white employees, while more rigorous and lower-paying
"back-of-the-house" jobs are given to black and Latino workers, |