Restaurant workers could change ‘the nature of the business’

Opinion

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This article was published 10/05/2011 (5246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’ve spent time in a restaurant, you’ve probably heard the phrase “that’s the nature of the business.” But this phrase is often misunderstood.

A restaurant is both a fun place to work and an extremely difficult place to work. Whether you are in the kitchen or in the dining room, restaurant work is fast-paced, social and usually not boring. But it’s not always fun and games. I have been working in restaurants for more than five years. I have grilled steaks, deep-fried potatoes, flipped eggs and bused tables in bistros, fast-food joints, greasy spoons and fine dining rooms.

I’ve learned that starting a restaurant and making a living are not easy tasks. It takes a huge amount of money, time, and expertise. Restaurant owners count every penny that comes in and goes out. The biggest cost is labour, and owners will do anything they can to save on labour costs. These endeavors, however, often cost workers the most.

In many restaurants, workers don’t receive overtime pay. Workers often are required to pay for damaged equipment or bills that people walk out on. Hours are cut without warning, and people are fired with little notice (I know someone who was fired for “looking stressed out”).

People work 10-, 12- and 14-hour shifts, sometimes longer. At one restaurant, my boss “forgot” to enter my hours into the payroll system and I missed a paycheque. Although it was corrected (my boss brushed it off by saying “my bad”), this unfortunately is a common practice, one of many that contravenes Manitoba labour law. Others are just disrespectful.

Without people to transform raw materials into a sauce, a loaf of bread, or ready-to-stir-fry vegetables, without people to plate that food properly and to carry it to the table, without someone to clean and put away the dirty plates, no restaurant could function.

Managers and owners would not be able to open up shop without a staff. So why, if workers are clearly a crucial part of this industry, are we treated with such disrespect? Why are our rights ignored?

Most restaurant workers don’t realize that they have legally protected rights, which, when breached, managers often shrug off with that phrase “that’s the nature of the business.”

This phrase helps workers forget that we are not obligated to work 14-hour days, that we are allowed to book days off without the threat of having our hours cut, and that we are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity.

Many restaurant workers fear that by standing up to management they will be fired or that their hours will be cut and management justifies this with “that’s the nature of the business.”

It seems the “nature” of the restaurant business is one that allows owners and managers to treat staff with disrespect and violate labour laws.

The restaurant industry is one where a union is needed. Many restaurant workers are opposed to this idea, especially servers, who can make a few hundred dollars a night in tips.

Imagine, however, working in a place where you get paid well above minimum wage, where you have benefits, or where your boss does not treat you with complete disrespect. Imagine earning overtime pay when you work a 12-hour day.

The current trend of ignoring workers’ rights and passing it off as the nature of the business is shameful.

Unionizing may be a long and difficult road, but there are other options in the meantime. Restaurant workers have an obligation to read the Manitoba employment standards code and learn about employee rights.

They should not allow bosses to take advantage of them anymore. If these conditions are truly “the nature of the business,” then it is time to change the industry to reflect the interests of cooks, servers, hosts and dishwashers. After all, we are the people who make restaurants run.

Darrin Cohen is a Winnipeg writer.