October 3rd 2023.
Waffle House employees are taking a stand for their rights. Across the Southeast, they are fighting for increased security, optional meal deductions, and a pay raise to $25 an hour. To spread awareness of their demands, employees have held rallies, backed by the Union of Southern Service Workers.
Gerald Green, a seasoned employee of seven years, shared his experience. “I am what they call a grill operator. I am a cook. I am a rockstar cook. I have been at Waffle House for about seven years. I am the highest-level cook outside management.” Unfortunately, Green only makes $17.75 an hour, not enough to cover all of his bills. He and many others have been forced to seek additional jobs to make ends meet.
Since June 2023, South Carolina employees have been staging strikes for increased security and the elimination of mandatory meal deductions for each shift. Unfortunately, these protests come due to an uptick in violent incidents involving the beloved breakfast chain. In August, a 19-year-old employee was killed in one of the ordeals.
“A lot of workers are hurt by customers. A lot of workers are mistreated by customers,” Green detailed. “People say it is funny seeing people in fights all the time — like, we are not really MMA fighters like people online say we are.”
Waffle House employees are also facing risks due to severe weather. The restaurant is known for remaining open through most conditions, including hurricanes, while other restaurants close down.
A spokesperson for the food business released a statement attempting to delegitimize the recently held events. However, Green and fellow employees continue to fight for better wages and working conditions. Their story is inspiring tech workers to respond to the UPS workers who recently netted $170k salaries in a union deal.
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