ROC-United
1,000 signatures reached
To: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dana "Loca" Rodriguez, and Casa Bonita Management
WeAreTeamCasa
***UPDATE*** 8/1/23
Wow y’all, we are really doing it!
Thank you so much for supporting our cause in wanting Casa Bonita to grow and thrive, unhindered from this ever-stagnant loop we have been in. We could not have gotten this far without the love sent from you all.
Please stay tuned to our social medias @employeesofcasabonita (tiktok and instagram)—we have been in meetings with management and are determining what our next steps should be.
Thank you again for your continued support!
***
We need your help! Please sign our petition to tell owners and management to meet us at a negotiation table.
Here is the demand letter that was presented to the full staff including management last week.
_____________________________
July 12, 2023
To the Owners and Managers of Casa Bonita:
We are current and former employees of Casa Bonita (“#WeAreTeamCasa”) and members of ROC-United, an organization of restaurant workers that work together to improve wages and working conditions in our industry.
We take pride in our jobs and demand transparency with management and owners of Casa Bonita, a better relationship built on trust and clear, well-articulated communication.
To achieve this, we have collectively decided on implementing these terms. Here are our demands:
HOURS OF OPERATION
We demand a clearly defined path to being open seven days per week, including an official Opening Date
A clearly defined roadmap to how employees receive benefits, with specific dates, requirements to achieve them, as well as a list of benefits to be offered
A clearly defined and accessible pathway toward insurance for all interested employees
PAY STRUCTURE
A mutually-agreed on tip pool structure with input from all staff members
Full transparency regarding how the mutually agreed upon tip pool will be dispersed
A VOICE IN THE WORKPLACE
Direct line of communication between management and employees. We demand to have more direct access to management meetings via work-group representatives of our choosing
Transparency with two-way communication between staff and management, such as a daily pre-shift meeting
There will be no more demands from Management to sign any changes to any policy, contracts, etc. that are expected the same day. Employees will be given a reasonable timeframe to consult family, attorneys, etc when making decisions
REINSTATE UNFAIRLY TERMINATED EMPLOYEES
Any/all original CB employees who are no longer employed by CB because of contract-related disputes will be re-offered their positions with the newly negotiated terms
Our goal is to foster a more supportive work environment and increase overall job satisfaction among the staff. WE are Team Casa; Our collective dedication to Casa Bonita can be strengthened through your commitment to meeting these demands.
We request a response by Wednesday, July 19, 2023, no later than 5:00 PM, MST to come to a mutually agreeable solution. Please direct all communication to [email protected]
If we do not hear from you, we will assume you are not interested in an amicable resolution and we will move forward with appropriate action.
Finally, we remind you that it is against federal law to retaliate against an employee for exercising their right to protected concerted activity; for working towards an improved work environment. This includes discharging, penalizing, disciplining, or in any other manner discriminating against workers for this activity. 29 U.S.C. § 215(a)(3).
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Best regards,
#WeAreTeamCasa
Althea Grace, Angelica Lopez, Billy Dietz, Cat Jordan, Corey Blair, Cory Byrd, Dante Cox, Gayle Durr, Jake Marasco, Jay Demarest, Joe Sorenson, Jordan Leggett, Justin Chavez, Michelle Mendenhall, Rachel Lane, Russ Lee, Shawn Martinez, Tanner Velvin, Charlie Drissel, Scott Key, Trevor Alderson, Matthew Hallas, Madison Vecchiarelli, Elizabeth Jones, Des Bowers, Cat Jordan, Brenda Wilson, Tanner Velvin, Mahaila Diakite, Mary “Charlie” Kibbs, Shelby Warr, Jackson Lysinger, Sherie Chavez, Perla Lujan, Abbie Cummings, Tianna Apoduca, Jonas Whalen, Shelby Young, Mike Fair, Jackson Lysinger, Jo Lowry, Alexandra Wiles, Michael Morales, Mia Walters, Destiny LaFore, Kegan Skelton, Ellie Ness, Omar Garcia, Jacqueline Bonilla, David Saldene
Why is this important?
Casa Bonita is a Denver institution, and we all have core memories of this fantastic establishment; and our community has a right to know what has been promised to us. Here are some quotes from Team Casa members!
Michelle, bartender: I’ve been a loving fan of Casa Bonita since the early 90s, spent many years in the service industry since then. When I got this dream job as a bartender I was thrilled to be in a place of weird camp and wonder. However, with the changed pay structure and limited hours available on the 3 day schedule my dream is falling apart; I cannot afford to work at CB. The dollars don’t make sense. Our whole house deserves better for its hourly employees. I’d gladly take minimum wage with tips so that our kitchen can receive better pay, give them the $30 they deserve it! We also need to see more operating hours so that we can all be offered benefits, as originally promised to us. Park County needs to remember we (the hourly employees) are the ones who love this place and will take care of it with joyful enthusiasm. In return we ask them to see our humanity and let us earn a competitive wage with benefits.
Russ, bartender: This is a bait-and-switch - our pay has been cut by up to 40%. We are truly disappointed by management’s continued disrespect. We’ve been waiting over four months to get regular hours, we’re still not fully open, we have no path to earn enough hours for benefits. We were excited about the possibility of reviving a Denver institution, but what was a really fun adventure has turned into a real-life nightmare…I’m really proud of the group #WeAreTeamCasa that we’ve created. Our team just wants an opportunity to work, and earn what we were promised when we started, and to have a dignified working environment.
Cory, bartender: My name is Cory. I originally signed my first offer letter on March 13th. I was told that there would be zero blackout dates Casa would require me full time, and that I had to quit my other jobs by the end of April to ensure employment with Casa. Here we are four months later with still no sign of an opening date. I have been living off of credit cards and drained my savings.
Rachel, Bartender: I took this position at Casa Bonita because I believed it was something special, and it is. The promises made throughout the hiring and training process were enticing. Full time hours, benefits and a high rate of pay. Not one of these has been met. Although worker happiness and well-being has fallen to the wayside, I believe there is room for change. Ownership and management alike are capable of meeting our needs and making this an amazing place to work for everyone!
Gayle, Bartender: Upon hire at Casa Bonita, they requested I leave a full-time job in order to devote full-time hours to Casa Bonita. That was in March. It is now July and we have yet to come close to full time hours. On top of that, there was a promise of lucrative business which would bring an incredible opportunity monetarily. We have yet to see any of this lucrative business–despite people nationwide waiting patiently to finally see the inside of this Colorado landmark. We want to see Casa Bonita thrive, and if ownership/management cannot bring that about, then we will.
