“My first time working in a restaurant you never got a break…One day, we had a new hire and she took a 30 like she was supposed to, and when she got back, she got yelled at by the managers because while, yes, we legally should get breaks, that ‘isn't what we do here.’”
- Restaurant worker, in testimony at King County Board of Health
The vote is in and restaurant workers got a win! Starting next year the Board of Health can treat violations of workers’ rights as the public health issue they are. For too long, workers in food service have had to choose between a paycheck and our health. This puts workers and the customers we serve at risk. The King County Board of Health voted in our favor and now, through the county health department, we’ll have another tool to get what we’re owed.
Too many of us can’t rely on our bosses respecting our rights at work and it is putting us and the public in danger. Some bosses intentionally make us work through breaks to the point of exhaustion. Others make us jump through hoops for those breaks or to take the paid sick leave we’ve earned. It is not just morally wrong and illegal. It is a dangerous public health problem. One Capitol Hill worker said it best in their testimony at the King County Board of Health:
“None of us really wants to work side by side with someone who is contagious with COVID or the flu. None of us wants to be served by someone who’s contagious or exhausted to the point of being unsafe. These workplace issues are intrinsically public health issues.”
With their expanded power, the county health department will be able to ensure not only that customers have safe places to eat and employers have safe businesses to run, but that restaurant workers have good, safe workplaces! If a restaurant has certain unpaid workers’ rights violations, health inspectors can go to the restaurant to conduct another health inspection. The health department can also place a second placard at the door, in addition to the health rating placard. The second placard will advise the public that the restaurant is under increased inspection because of unresolved workers’ rights violations. These are important tools that keep customers informed, more safe, and could be strong deterrents that prevent restaurants from violating our rights in the first place. They’re also just plain common sense. As King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said, using a phrase a worker gave in testimony:
“Where there is smoke, there is often fire - if workers’ rights are being violated, we should at the very least make sure the food that is being served meets our public health food-safety standards and work to prevent the public’s health from being at risk.”
The newly expanded health code enforcement will also level the playing field for the small businesses that treat workers fairly and operate by the rules. Businesses that cheat their workers are undercutting fair businesses all to shave a few dollars off payroll. That’s just not right. These new health code enforcement powers will help remove the “race to the bottom” that unfair businesses are forcing onto the whole industry.
Food safety isn’t just about gloves and hairnets. It is also about workers being healthy and alert enough to work safely. Diners should be able to trust that the sandwich in front of them wasn’t made by someone pressured to work through a fever. Exhausted workers are more likely to make mistakes. This can lead to everything from knife wounds, food contamination, or even forgetting details on orders like allergies. The ability for the health department to make additional health inspections and advise the public that those increased inspections are due to unpaid labor violations increases public awareness and trust.
In conclusion: organized workers stay winning! And when workers win, everyone else does too.