TELL OSHA

We Need a National Heat Standard Now.

Are you one of the 36 million workers exposed to extreme heat on the job?  As restaurant workers, we know all too well the physical, mental, and emotional toll of working in extreme heat. 

And now the Department of Labor is stepping in to protect us, but they need to hear exactly how this affects us at work. Get fired up and tell the DOL all the details about what it is like to sweat it out on the saute station and not have a chance to step away from the blazing heat, pull a double on an unshaded patio with no time to take a break to drink water, feel nauseated from working in the hot dishpit for too long….Your health should not have to suffer, but your story can help protect workers in the future. 

ROC Radio: Empowering Voices in the Restaurant Industry

Unlock the power of natural hair! On this episode of ROC Radio, we unravel the transformative CROWN Act – a law reshaping workplaces and championing your right to embrace your natural self.”

RESTAURANT WORKERS BILL OF RIGHTS: A RIGHT TO THRIVE
Embrace the opportunity to live a life filled with economic freedom and security. Demand a thriving wage, care during incapacity, and access to essential needs like childcare, education, and banking. Your productivity should never define your humanity.
LEARN MORE
THE RIGHT TO HEAL AND REST
You are not a machine; you deserve rest and rejuvenation. Demand paid leave, regular breaks, and consistent scheduling that allows you to be more present in both your work and personal life. Stand up for your right to heal your body and spirit.
TAKE ACTION
THE RIGHT TO A SAFE AND DIGNIFIED WORK ENVIRONMENT
Your workplace should be a sanctuary of respect and growth. Demand protection from discrimination, harassment, and abusive dynamics. Your rights and safety should never be contingent upon your appearance or status. A respectful environment fosters quality work.
TAKE ACTION
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We are UNITED.

Founded after September 11, 2001, by restaurant workers displaced from the World Trade Center, Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United has grown into a national organization dedicated to achieving economic stability and thriving futures for people working in the restaurant industry. ROC United is the country’s oldest and largest restaurant workers-led organization that works to improve restaurant workers’ lives by building worker power and uniting workers of various backgrounds around shared goals and values.

Over 14 million people count on restaurant jobs to support their families. Yet, this massive workforce struggles with the lowest wages nationwide, wage theft, sexism and racism, and unsafe, harmful working conditions. Restaurant workers are two and a half times more likely to live in poverty than the general workforce. ROC United builds the power of people working in the restaurant industry to advocate for livable wages and workplaces that are fair, safe, inclusive and accessible, pathways for advancement, and equitable benefits. Our growing, diverse membership of 65,000 workers are women, people of color, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQIA community. We train and develop the leadership of our members to advocate for systemic change in their workplaces and public policy. ROC United is working toward achieving an ambitious goal of engaging 20% of the nation’s restaurant workforce by 2030.  

 

DEI Commitment Statement

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion across race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, language, identity, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, perspective and experience is in our DNA. It drives us forward every day to create an environment where workers from any background and culture are safe, healthy and empowered, get their voices heard, feel welcomed, supported and valued, and are given the same opportunities.

Featured Partnership

ROC United has partnered with NotMe Solutions (not-me.com) to provide a safe and easy tool to speak up: the #NotMe app. Please report it if you experience or witness any form of misconduct (harassment, discrimination, bullying, health & safety issues, etc.) happening in your workplace. The person reporting can also do it anonymously, if they choose. We want to make sure that our members are both physically and psychologically safe and we take those responsibilities seriously. Together, we hope #NotMe will be helpful in the creation of a safer work environment.

Members: To create your account, download the free app through the App Store, Play Store or on any browser by going to the WebApp. See our poster for more information. Use your personal email address when you create your account for notifications updates about the status of your report or when a new chat message is waiting for you. When prompted to “link your organization”, use our PIN (762) and you’ll have access to our specific Feed/questionnaire.

ON THE MENU

Want the latest scoop on ROC United campaigns and news? Join our email list to find out how you can get involved in our work and help make a difference.

FEATURED VIDEOS

Dr. Sekou Siby shares his own 9/11 experience as one of these workers, and is joined by Alexandra Délano, Assistant Professor of Global Studies at the New School, and Benjamin Nienass, Associate Professor of Political Science and Law at Montclair State University, to highlight the stories of undocumented immigrants who died on 9/11, while discussing the complex legal processes of proving their existence and ensuring they would not be forgotten.

Former and current workers at Blaze Pizza in Stadium Village held a press conference to celebrate an anticipated settlement of over $28,000 in unpaid wages and liquidated damages. The anticipated settlement on behalf of workers is between the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights and former owners of Blaze Pizza in Stadium Village. 

Hear from our Chief Program Officer, Teófilo Reyes, as he breaks down the need for a Restaurant Worker Bill of Rights and to defund the National Restaurant Association.

Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su discusses the gender pay gap on Equal Pay Day for Latinas.