So I have been out of work for several years due to being a single parent with no childcare. Now that my daughter is in kindergarten, I have gotten a regular job as a dishwasher at a non-chain restaurant. The 2 owners are also chefs and they work literally right beside me. But there are 27 other employees who are not owners and thus are being exploited. Everyone’s general mindset there is benefitting the company as much as possible. They associate success of the business with the potential for pay raises, promotions, etc.
My mindset is a communist worker working directly alongside the people exploiting everyone else’s labor. It’s important to note the owners in this establishment don’t do nothing at all, they are the head chefs and do a lot of work every day, but I can’t ignore the fact that they tale home the majority of the profits while everyone else is beholden to a standard hourly wage ($12/hr)
My problem is I am very unfamiliar with the restaurant industry and its relation to labor organizing. Are unions a thing in restaurants? Is it more risky to approach labor organizing when the owner is part of that labor? Am I looking at this from an entirely wrong angle?
I’m just not sure what steps, if any, I should consider here. I spend all day listening to Marxist theory through headphones while washing dishes, but I can’t figure out how to approach this situation. Please give me some starting points if you can. It’s also probably relevant to note that I work in a state with Right To Work and At Will Employment laws
Hmm, I was (still kinda am sorta) in a somewhat similar predicament. My bosses were stealing quite a bit of money from me (timesheet manipulation and some fucky stuff with OT). I would suggest you reach out to local Law Caucuses, Socialist & Communist Parties, worker advocacy groups, etc. in your area, even if they’re pretty far away. 27 employees sounds like quite a lot of people to keep track off on your own. Trying to organize by yourself is going to be quite a headache. Not to say that you shouldn’t do it, but just keep in mind that it’s going to take a lot of agitation from you to your coworkers…Obviously, tailor how you do that according to your own relationship with the coworkers.
I kinda lucked out because I have a friend who was in a Law caucus, and we met through the party! Just having someone who could walk me through my rights and all the legal paperwork was so immensely helpful. It’s an active process still, but I would not have made it this far without the party!
In the meantime, really build camaraderie with your coworkers. Unions in restaurants are pretty rare tbh. 10% of the country is unionized, and with the restaurant industry, it was always my impression that jobs were so transitory that it was hard to even get people into the idea of unionizing. That being said, it doesn’t hurt to try. A lot of this would depend on how well you know your coworkers and vice versa…find collective grievances to point out to them, but do it in a graceful way. Anyway, I hope that was somewhat helpful! I’m rooting for you :)