ROC-United

We are 13,000 restaurant workers, 100 high-road employers, thousands of engaged consumers united for raising restaurant industry standards; we are the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC). Over the last five years, we have won 13 workplace justice campaigns against exploitative high-profile restaurant companies, obtaining more than $7 million and improvements in workplace policies for workers at those restaurants. We are on the front lines of the fight to improve labor practices across the restaurant industry, eliminate the tipped minimum wage (which has been stuck at $2.13 at the federal level since 1991), and ensure one fair minimum wage for all workers.

New Campaign Campaigns

  • Protect restaurant workers from tip theft.
    When a customer pays the tip with a credit card, the money doesn’t always go to the server. Many restaurants allow customers to pay the bill and the tip with their credit card instead of cash. Credit card companies charge separate fees to process both of these transactions. Because the tip has to be processed through the restaurant, the restaurant can legally take a percentage of each tip to pay the transaction fee. In short, restaurants are taking the tip you gave to the employee to pay a business expense. In many states, servers are only guaranteed $2.13 per hour. The rest of our pay comes directly from guests in the form of the tip. This is an incredibly unstable way to make a living because it’s only social custom that obliges a patron to leave a tip. Regardless of how hard we work or how much the bill is, only the customer’s conscience determines how much we are paid. Meanwhile, if a guest refuses to pay the bill, they could be prosecuted. It is shameful that an industry that doesn’t have to pay its workers a living wage would also steal its workers’ hard-earned money.
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    Created by Janice Shiffler Picture
  • UPDATED: Kim Bartmann: Pay Us What You Owe Us
    On Monday, March 16th, in response to the spread of COVID-19, Kim Bartmann closed the seven restaurants she owns in the Twin Cities, laying off all workers. On March 19th, we, the employees of the Bartmann group, were notified that our checks for the week prior to this closure, wages we had already earned, would not be available. Furthermore, a time and date when these checks would be made available was not given. We deserve our earned wages, especially in a time when so many of us are unable to work, and are struggling to make ends meet. We, the employees of Barbette, Pat’s Tap, Red Stag Supperclub, Tiny Diner, Book Club, Trapeze and Gigi’s Cafe, demanded that Kim Bartmann and the Bartmann Group pay us our earned wages. Workers reported, as a result of not making payroll, Kim Bartmann was withholding both hourly wages and tips from their final pay period, this is theft and we demanded that Kim Bartmann turn over these wages. For those of us who have had checks bounce from previous pay periods, we demanded that Kim Bartmann make these wages available immediately. Under Minnesota Statutes § 181.13, we are entitled to receive all of our final wages within 24 hours of this demand. Failure to provide final wages within 24 hours of this demand may result in a penalty of up to 15 days of additional wages. In her email, Kim Bartmann strongly urged all to apply for unemployment, which most of us have now done. But, unemployment is not a substitute for stolen wages and tips AND many immigrant workers may be ineligible for unemployment benefits. In order to ensure that we and our communities can pay for food, medical needs and other basic necessities, we are calling on the State of Minnesota to enact a policy for 15 days of Emergency Paid Time Off paid for by employers and provided to all workers, no exceptions, who have to miss work (including retroactively covering days that have already been lost) due to the coronavirus pandemic for any reason, be it for a temporary job shut down, personally getting sick, caring for kids when schools shut down, or any other related reason. The 15 days should be in addition to whatever benefits workers already have in their workplace. To avoid impacting small businesses, we are calling on the state to implement a separate tax on the largest businesses in the state including Amazon, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Target, Ecolab and others, and small to medium sized businesses can apply for a tax credit equal to 100% of the paid sick leave benefit they have paid out. If workers have to miss more than 15 days for any reason related to the crisis, they should be able to access unemployment insurance benefits immediately without counting the benefit against the employer's experience rating, and with a moratorium on employer challenges during the pandemic. Finally, we remind the Bartmann Group that it is against federal law to retaliate against an employee for making a discrimination or wage-related complaint. This includes discharging, penalizing, disciplining or in any other manner discriminating against workers for this activity. 29 U.S.C. § 215(a)(3). Most of us, as bartenders, cooks, dishwashers, and servers in the industry, live from paycheck to paycheck. These paychecks were for hours ALREADY worked during a time that should have been considered hazardous to our health, exposing us to large amounts of people, and we deserve to be paid. We should not have to choose between paying for essential food, rent and medical supplies and compromising social solidarity (social distancing) or exposing ourselves to further risks.
    3,290 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN ROCMN
  • Caribou Coffee Corporation Provide Emergency Paid Leave
    We as workers, especially immuno-compromised and vulnerable workers, are being forced to risk potential exposure to and spread of the Coronavirus while CEO John Butcher can continue working remotely. We should not have to choose between paying for essential food, rent and medical supplies and compromising social solidarity (a.k.a. social distancing) or exposing ourselves to further risks.
    4,998 of 5,000 Signatures
    Created by Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN ROCMN
  • Home Restaurants: Pay Us Our Owed Wages
    Many of us live paycheck to paycheck and are dependent on tips. Without the pay that is owed us, we are struggling to make ends meet. Our families and our children are suffering because of this #WageTheft. We, the employees of Home Restaurants LLC, demand to be paid what we are owed! Please sign our petition to help us and our families receive the pay we are owed.
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    Created by Mandy Grosse Picture
  • Bruegger’s Bagels Provide Emergency Paid Leave and Meet with Your Workers
    We as workers, especially immuno-compromised and vulnerable workers, are being forced to risk potential exposure to and spread of the Coronavirus while President and CEO Jose Alberto Dueñas can continue working remotely. We should not have to choose between paying for essential food, rent and medical supplies and compromising social solidarity (a.k.a. social distancing) or exposing ourselves to further risks.
    62 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN ROCMN
  • IHOP & Applebee's: Provide Paid Sick Days!
    People at Applebee's deserve paid sick days, especially with the rapid spreading of the coronavirus. The parent company is one the largest in the restaurant industry, employing tens of thousands of people with locations all over America and abroad. A significant percentage of their restaurants are franchised with different policies and rules for each store. Corporate stepping in and requiring paid sick days at all franchised & corporate-owned locations is the quickest and most effective way to protect their employees and be a leader in helping curb the spread of the virus.
    10,225 of 15,000 Signatures
    Created by ROC United Picture
  • Panera Bread: Provide Emergency Paid Leave and Meet with Your Workers
    We as workers, especially immuno-compromised and vulnerable workers, are being forced to risk potential exposure to and spread of the Coronavirus while CEO Niren Chaudhary can continue working remotely. We should not have to choose between paying for essential food, rent and medical supplies and compromising social solidarity (a.k.a. social distancing) or exposing ourselves to further risks.
    3,097 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN ROCMN
  • Peet’s Coffee Provide Emergency Paid Leave and Meet with Your Workers!
    We as workers, especially immuno-compromised and vulnerable workers, are being forced to risk potential exposure to and spread of the Coronavirus while CEO Kenneth Keller can continue working remotely. We should not have to choose between paying for essential food, rent and medical supplies and compromising social solidarity (a.k.a. social distancing) or exposing ourselves to further risks.
    3,098 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by Restaurant Opportunities Center of MN ROCMN
  • Denny's: Provide Paid Sick Days
    People who work at Denny's deserve paid sick days, especially with the rapid spreading of the coronavirus. Denny's disproportionately serves the elderly population, meaning if their workforce contracts the coronavirus, the company has a higher likelihood of spreading the virus to those with weakened immune systems. This is a public health issue! Denny's do your part and follow Olive Garden's lead in providing paid sick days to your employees.
    3,064 of 4,000 Signatures
    Created by ROC United Picture
  • Chili's: Provide Paid Sick Days!
    People who work at Chili's deserve paid sick days, especially with the rapid spreading of the coronavirus. As a large chain restaurant, Chili's unfortunately has a troubled history of public health issues, having been sued by customers for salmonella, food-poisoning, among other health-related lawsuits. This is an opportunity for Chili's to finally be on the right side of history by leading the industry along with Olive Garden on public health issues by providing paid sick days to their employees.
    1,344 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by ROC United Picture
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