ROC-United
2021-05-04 06:01:16 -0400
To: Guy Fieri, HR Director of LIVE Casino, and Management
Guy Fieri: Put an End to discrimination at LIVE Casino, Westmoreland County
We are demanding that Guy Fieri, the management of Guy's Kitchen & Bar, the director of Human Resources at LIVE Casino, address the situation immediately:
-Raise Black workers’ wages, including 5 months of back pay and compensate them for the unequal treatment.
-Mandatory Racial Sensitivity and Equity training for ALL management and staff.
-A public acknowledgement and review of the atmosphere of ALL Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar locations, not just Pittsburgh, to ensure fair practices are being upheld.
-Raise Black workers’ wages, including 5 months of back pay and compensate them for the unequal treatment.
-Mandatory Racial Sensitivity and Equity training for ALL management and staff.
-A public acknowledgement and review of the atmosphere of ALL Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar locations, not just Pittsburgh, to ensure fair practices are being upheld.
Why is this important?
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
Although Black workers at Guy Fieri’s Kitchen & Bar Westmoreland have more professional experience, they are being paid LOWER WAGES than their white counterparts. This was brought to light following a recent racially charged incident, where a restaurant manager openly used the word “N****R” in front of several employees, while ordering a worker to turn off the music.
Nate Ridley, a Black worker who was present when the racist remark was made, formally filed a complaint with LIVE! Casino’s HR department after the incident and put in his two weeks notice. It is unacceptable that the job he was once excited about had allowed such discrimination and disrespect to happen. The HR department did not immediately respond to Ridley’s grievance and he was expected to continue to work alongside the manager who made the racial slur.
Ridley then connected with ROC-PA, which led to the discovery of the pay disparity between Black and white workers. When management was asked about the pay discrepancy, workers were told not to discuss wages with others. After ROC first circulated this petition, the LIVE! Casino’s HR department finally responded, saying that they would “look into the situation.” The management advised workers to “be careful signing petitions.”
To date, Ridley has yet to receive an apology from the upper management of Guy’s Kitchen & Bar.
We believe that everyone has the right to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment.
As employees, we demand accountability, action and fair wages!
Although Black workers at Guy Fieri’s Kitchen & Bar Westmoreland have more professional experience, they are being paid LOWER WAGES than their white counterparts. This was brought to light following a recent racially charged incident, where a restaurant manager openly used the word “N****R” in front of several employees, while ordering a worker to turn off the music.
Nate Ridley, a Black worker who was present when the racist remark was made, formally filed a complaint with LIVE! Casino’s HR department after the incident and put in his two weeks notice. It is unacceptable that the job he was once excited about had allowed such discrimination and disrespect to happen. The HR department did not immediately respond to Ridley’s grievance and he was expected to continue to work alongside the manager who made the racial slur.
Ridley then connected with ROC-PA, which led to the discovery of the pay disparity between Black and white workers. When management was asked about the pay discrepancy, workers were told not to discuss wages with others. After ROC first circulated this petition, the LIVE! Casino’s HR department finally responded, saying that they would “look into the situation.” The management advised workers to “be careful signing petitions.”
To date, Ridley has yet to receive an apology from the upper management of Guy’s Kitchen & Bar.
We believe that everyone has the right to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment.
As employees, we demand accountability, action and fair wages!
