PRWA’s Statement on return to work
by Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid Advisory Board
In a Tribune Review article from April, 10 2021, Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association President John Longstreet summarizes the staffing struggles restaurant and bar owners face as COVID-19 safety guidelines ease. Longstreet says increased unemployment benefits, though short-term, are a factor working against restaurants filling vacancies.
This argument characterizes restaurant workers as lazy and entitled, and further damages the already low public perception of hospitality industry workers. It deflects the responsibility of owners and managers to provide jobs that pay a living wage, offer benefits including healthcare, vacation time, and paid sick leave.
Staffing was an issue pre-pandemic. A 2016 article in The Incline highlights the shortage of qualified restaurant workers during the previous decade’s dining boom. As Greater Pittsburgh establishments are able to open with fewer restrictions and increased capacity, they once again experience hiring issues. These staffing issues are not a surprise for those of us who’ve spent years working in the industry.
Restaurant workers want to work, including those who receive unemployment compensation. We are, however, returning to jobs where our safety and well-being is secondary to sales and guest experience. As ownership and management reduce labor costs, we are now asked to take on more responsibilities and hours without increased pay or benefits.
Returning to work also means returning to an industry rife with mental and physical health risks. A 2015 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration ranked restaurant workers highest for illicit drug use and third-highest for alcohol abuse. A 2018 study by the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that tipped workers have a much greater prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues when compared to non-tipped workers.
Covid-19 only exacerbated the already existing inequalities and exploitative conditions of restaurant industry work. An anonymous worker said in a July 29, 2020 Pittsburgh City Paper article, that the pressures of serving the public during a coronavirus spike made them “question if they want to remain in the industry altogether.”
Restaurants and bars don’t have a right to our labor because they’re now open for business. Restaurant workers aren’t lazy and entitled. It’s our hope that reporting on restaurant industry labor issues starts a real discussion about the exploitation, mistreatment, and long-standing neglect of restaurant workers, and the steps industry leaders must take to attract workers.
Listen to Restaurant Workers
I’m tired of excuses | Testimonial by David B. (line cook) >>>
Why don’t you have my back? | Testimonial by Larisa M. (former busser) >>>
Are we all in this together? | Testimonial by Amelia B. (former busser/barback) >>>
National Media Coverage on Return to Work
Lunsford, M. (2021, March 29). Asheville restaurants: Staffing crisis comes at crucial time as capacity rules relax. Citizen Times.
Lee, D. (2021, April 07). Why it’s been so hard to hire restaurant workers back. The Takeout.
Canavan, H.D. (2021, March 15). The Responsibility of Saving Restaurants Should Never Have Been Ours. Eater.
Jones, A. (2021, April 12). Unemployed workers defect and debate their next moves, leaving restaurant owners to contend with a labor shortage. The Counter.
Johnson, T. (2021, April 13). Restaurant Employees Are…Gone. San Diego Magazine.
Crowley, C. (2021, April 14). Jobs Are Returning to New York’s Restaurants. Will Workers? New York Grub Street.
Reiner, A. (2021, April 15). The Restaurant Labor Shortage Was Inevitable. The Restaurant Manifesto.
