food service
Hamburgers vs value - Kämpa Tillsammans
Article by Swedish communist group Kämpa Tillsammans, examining the relationship between informal workplace activity in a hamburger restaurant, and the broader communist movement.
By Marcel, member of the communist group Kämpa Tillsammans! 1
- 1. Kämpa Tillsammans! means "Struggle together!" and shall be understood as an imperative.
France: Migrant workers' occupation wins
Sacked workers occupying the Buffalo Grill restaurant for one month have beaten their employers and been re-instated with their employment status regularised.
The one-month occupation of the restaurant and parking lot of the Buffalo Grill in Viry-Chatillon outside Paris has resulted in an important victory for 20 undocumented migrant workers fired at the fast food chain.
Precarious and pissed off: Lessons from the Montpelier Downtown Workers' Union, 2003-2005
An account and analysis of the Vermont Workers' Center's innovative but ultimately failed attempt to set up a geographically-based union in the state's capital.
By Sean West
Beginnings and Endings
Paris: Migrant workers occupy Buffalo Grill
Undocumented workers at the fast food chain in Paris have occupied the Buffalo Grill in Viry-Chatillon after being sacked and reported to the authorities.
The migrants, mostly of African origin, many with years of employment at the chain, face expulsion from the France of Nicolas Sarkozy to their country of origin.
France: Airport catering workers demonstrate
LSG-Gate-Gourmet workers threatened with dismissal as the management attempt to wind the company up demonstrated on Wednesday 4 April.
Many of the 853 workers facing the sack protested outside the company offices before moving to Roissy airport where they protested at the Lufthansa check-in desks, Lufthansa is the former owner of LSG.
Super Size My Pay - Fast food workers in New Zealand organise for better pay and conditions, 2005-6
In New Zealand, hundreds of fast food workers waged an innovative campaign called Super-Size My Pay during 2005-06. This is one worker's overview and analysis of the campaign.
This text is taken from the December 2006 issue of the Industrial Workers of the World Australia's newsletter, Direct Action.
Direct action victory on health and safety at Starbucks, 2006
Making work safer through direct action - Daniel Gross and Joe Tessone recount the actions of workers winning a small but significant victory on health and safety at a Chicago Starbucks outlet in 2006.
Requests have been routinely made and ignored for the purchase of a stepladder. It is vital for our safety that we have a stepladder available to use for such tasks as changing light bulbs, reaching boxes on high shelves, and cleaning ceiling tiles. Currently, we are forced to balance ourselves on unstable café tables to accomplish tasks in hard to reach places.
Ireland: Domino's drivers on strike
Workers at the Tallaght branch of Domino's Pizza went on strike Friday night over wages.
Around 50 drivers refused to work the evening shift on Friday from 5pm, they then picketed out workers at the Walkinstown branch from 8pm, persuading around seven drivers to come out despite management threats that they would sack any drivers who joined the strike. The picket ended at 9pm due to bad weather at which point drivers from both branches went home.
Strike at McDonalds, Paris, August 2004
A brief account and information about a CGT union strike at the McDonald’s Place d’Italie branch in Paris in 2004.
About the Frog Pubs strike, 2003
Detailed article about the struggle of Sri Lankan Tamil migrant workers in Paris against British pub chain Frog.
Irish stew: Experiences of a waitress in Germany, 2002
This was written to share the experience of one waitress with others. We often work in small places for short times, but if we all stand together we have a chance to fight back against the crap we get at work. This starts with sharing what is going on...
Being a McWorker in Germany, 2002
One worker's account of being a McDonalds employee in Germany, with information about the workforce, the atmosphere and issues facing the workers.
What is McDonald's?
Spread Cheese against Scabs - Picket line account from German Gate Gourmet strike, 2005
First person account of a picket line in November 2005 after 43 days of strike against catering firm Gate Gourmet in Germany.
Strike at Gate Gourmet in Düsseldorf, 2005
Article from November 2005 with updates on the strike against catering firm Gate Gourmet in Germany.
Workers' struggle at Gate Gourmet is getting harder
Article from February 2006 about German workers' struggle against airport catering firm Gate Gourmet.
Abolish Restaurants - prole.info
Abolish Restaurants is an illustrated guide to the daily misery, stress, boredom, and alienation of restaurant work, as well as the ways in which restaurant workers fight against it.
ABOLISH RESTAURANTS
2004: Granada coffee house strike
The history of a small strike at coffee shop in Spain, with the involvement of two different groups of anarchists, and ended largely in failure, albeit with some very minor concessions won.
History
2003: Frog pubs strike
An account of a strike of mostly Sri Lankan workers, aided by outside militants, at a British-owned pub chain in France, which won some concessions for the workers.
There are several Frog Pubs in Paris, English style beer pubs, whose menus and ‘sport events on big screens’ are aimed at a young and solvent clientele. Expenses are reduced by all means necessary: the kitchen staff work in tiny kitchens (e.g. 12 square metre kitchen for 450 square metres pub area). The wages vary between the minimum wage and 1,200 euros for the chef.
IWW pickets Edinburgh Starbucks
Members of the IWW picketed a Starbucks in Edinburgh yesterday. A short report of the picket follows.
IWW Informational Picket in Edinburgh
Just a quick report on our Informational picket at Starbucks in Edinburgh yesterday (Saturday 19th).
We (4 wobs, two supporters) chose our usual target - the High Street branch on the top of the Royal Mile.
The area was teeming with people as it's mid-Festival.
McRevolution! Who are the shadowy burger flippers plotting to bring down McDonalds? - Loaded
Article about MWR which appeared in men's magazine Loaded in March 2002, which was written following this interview with the group.
McREVOLUTION
Who are the shadowy burger flippers plotting to bring down McDonalds?
