In San Antonio TX there are 47 family owned restaurants who for years now have paid workers (mainly youth) low wages for the same work in colored parts of the city than in richer developed parts. The Youth Leadership Organization took on the task of researching the injustices of Bill Miller BBQ towards minority youth who work there.
Wednesday July 11, 2007 was the official kick off date to the campaign for equal pay for equal work in Bill Miller BBQ Restaurants. In the south side and west side which mainly reside Mexican American People the starting pay is only $6.50 and on the north rich white neighborhood it is $9.00 hr.
Down Town & West Side
When confronted, the PR person for the company plainly confessed to the crime.
“Well those youth should drive to the north side to get a higher pay” – she said.
The youth interns, along with the SWU staff, went to protest at three different restaurants in three different parts of the city. In each protest a customer commented on their experience in working there or they agreed to take our demands to the manager, because they have no comment boxes.
We will keep standing up and empowering workers until the Miller Family caves and everyone is paid equally for equal work no matter where you live.
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From SA Express News
Union representing young workers protests Bill Miller wages
Web Posted: 07/11/2007 12:50 PM CDT
Chanting, "Equal pay!" and holding signs, about 15 volunteers from a youth union held a rally outside of Bill Miller Bar B-Q headquarters downtown trying to get the company's attention about pay inequity.
They say workers on the South, East and West sides of San Antonio get paid less than workers on the North Side. North Side workers get paid about $9 an hour, compared with around $6 an hour in other parts of the city, they said.
"Out of about 2,000 of Bill Miller workers, I'd say about 1,000 to 1,500 get paid less. It's mostly the restaurants on the East, South and West Sides," said Monica Garcia, a youth coordinator of the Southwest Workers Union Youth Leadership Organization.
She said the issue came to their attention from one of their youth interns who worked at the restaurant, and from talking with employees.
The majority of the workers who get less pay are between the ages of 16 to 25, according to the group.
At the Bill Miller on Durango Blvd near the Alamodome, its sign says starting pay is $8 an hour.
But a worker inside, who didn't want to be named, said the company just raised the wage to $8 from $7. She said she was told they get paid less because it's harder for the North Side Bill Miller restaurants to keep employees because of intense competition from other employers.
The union is supposed to be meeting with Bill Miller's executives about the issue, Garcia said.
Bill Miller officials haven't returned calls for comment.
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1 comments:
Why hasn't some called Monica Garcia's attention to the unfair gas prices across the city - gas prices are considerably less on the east and southeast side of SA. I guess this is fair, but the wages difference is not?
E.S.
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