Volunteers Needed to Dine Out for Justice

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Want a side of sniffles with that meal? The Paid Sick Days for All campaign is using Restaurant Week – August 13-19 – to generate support for restaurant workers who don’t get paid sick days. Throughout the course of the week, volunteers from the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), the DC Employment Justice Center (EJC), and Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) will deliver flowers and get-well cards to workers at participating restaurants. “As tipped workers, the serving staff at restaurants cannot earn paid sick days, and we know that many of them have had to come to work sick at one time or another or may even be sick now,” says JUFJ Executive Director Jacob Feinspan. “The flowers and cards will show that as consumers, we not only care about the quality of our food, but also about the way that workers are being treated inside the restaurant.” On August 15th, volunteers will canvass the city collecting signatures on a petition to demonstrate broad support throughout the District for paid sick days for all workers. ROC, EJC, and JUFJ are recruiting volunteers “interested in dining out during Restaurant Week and anyone interested in canvassing.” For details, fill out this form or email monica@jufj.org.