2 Years of COVID: Reflections from PRWA

As this week marks two years since the widespread business closures and lockdowns that signaled the start of the COVID-19 pandemic for those living in the United States, founding members of Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid are taking this moment to reflect on the many changes and hardships that restaurant industry workers have experienced. Needless to say, the restaurant industry has changed irreversibly, and we've yet to see any meaningful and widespread positive changes.

Through outbreaks, shutdowns, and restrictions, restaurant workers have borne the brunt of the negative outcomes of the pandemic. Workers have seen shifts cut and tips slashed as customers’ comfort with dining fluctuates. We have risked contracting COVID at our jobs as we work in tight quarters and interact with the public. We have been asked to hurry back to serving diners before having access to vaccines. We have lost pay and faced retaliation from our bosses when we need to stay home sick. And we know that future variants and outbreaks could pose additional risks to our health and safety if widespread changes are not made. 

We stand in solidarity with workers in Allegheny County, across the country and world who are joining together to make demands for safer, healthier, more democratic and happier workplaces. When wages, benefits, and overall working environments improve, we know that this is not usually motivated by altruistic owners, but by organized and determined workers. 

Let’s be clear about the creation of Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid. PRWA was built as a mutual aid organization to help workers during the pandemic and to build community support post-pandemic. We should not have to exist in our current context. What started as an emergency response two years ago has become an organization helping thousands of workers in Allegheny County through the pandemic. Within the last couple months, PRWA has seen an increase in requests for aid that we haven’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Working families are still struggling as inflation skyrockets and current wages and resources are not enough to make ends meet. This increase reflects the fact that our government has failed us in a time of need, and we are filling a gap of services that they should be providing. 

From the start of the pandemic, we have been clear that COVID-19 did not cause problems in the industry - it exacerbated problems that have existed for years. What would we like to see for workers? We want to see the worker’s voice uplifted and heard. We want to see movement towards dismantling outdated wage systems that oppress marginalized workers. We want to see equal treatment of front-of-house workers and back-of-house workers. We want to see paid sick leave, paid parental leave, predictive scheduling, and paid vacation time – all policies found in other industries or guaranteed in other countries. We want to see workers utilizing their rights to collectively bargain with their coworkers. We want to see healthcare for all workers.  We want to see collaboration and open communication between owners, managers, and employees to improve working conditions.

The restaurant industry, in its current state, will not survive a "return to normal" conditions like those prior to the pandemic. At this moment, workers have the most collective power we’ve seen in years. This is a historic moment where we can shift the balance of power in the restaurant labor market and demand dignity and respect. Workers are not disposable. We’re proof that workers in Pittsburgh can come together to support one another during a global crisis and that we have the power and numbers to support one another for a better restaurant industry.