1,000 signatures reached
To: Darden Restaurants
Darden: Stop requiring employees to sign arbitration forms
I want Darden to stop requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements during orientation. It's basically a waiver that makes them not liable for any negative experience that you have at that establishment. Which is all in all ridiculous. That has to be changed. We as employees should not have to sign anything stating that we will not be covered in cases of sexual harassment, discrimination and any other negative experiences. The terms are not explained truthfully.
Why is this important?
This is important because employees are not clear on what they're signing and are also not expecting to be harassed or discriminated against. Employees are completely unaware that they are signing away their rights to justice if ever they have negative experiences. Companies aren't creating an environment that will hold perpetrators for sexual harassment accountable for their actions, which makes them bold and fearless in their pursuits.
I was an employee for 5 months at Longhorn Steakhouse. There were multiple of my coworkers that touched me inappropriately and spoke to me inappropriately. I was disgusted. But I was also not in a position to lose my job. There were times that I would be really aggravated with their continuous actions and speak up and I would be sent home early. Eventually my hours became shorter and shorter, to the point that I would be scheduled for only one or two days a week. If I would've known that when I signed those papers during orientation that I would not be able to get an attorney to represent me in court, and it exempts them from all legal responsibilities in such a case, I would have never signed. And I think anyone applying for a position at this company needs to know what they're signing.
I was an employee for 5 months at Longhorn Steakhouse. There were multiple of my coworkers that touched me inappropriately and spoke to me inappropriately. I was disgusted. But I was also not in a position to lose my job. There were times that I would be really aggravated with their continuous actions and speak up and I would be sent home early. Eventually my hours became shorter and shorter, to the point that I would be scheduled for only one or two days a week. If I would've known that when I signed those papers during orientation that I would not be able to get an attorney to represent me in court, and it exempts them from all legal responsibilities in such a case, I would have never signed. And I think anyone applying for a position at this company needs to know what they're signing.
How it will be delivered
I plan on using the most forefront avenues to people applying for these positions. I hope to relay this message to as many people that I possibly can with the help of Coworker.org and other social media sites.
