DIRECT ACTION! GETS THE GOODS
After facing repeated harassment and lack of consistent pay and hours, the workers at Bobcat Bonnie’s in Michigan have started a soft picket.
Kyle Thibodeau
October 19, 2024
LEFT VOICE
Update: On October 18, workers at Bobcat Bonnie’s ended their picket after winning severance pay.
On October 17, the workers from the recently closed Ypsilanti location of the restaurant chain Bobcat Bonnie’s joined forces with members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the community to picket at the Ferndale location. This action is in response to the repeated mistreatment that workers across the chain have experienced. This includes not giving workers consistent hours, inappropriate comments towards staff, lack of communication between management and staff, and — most egregiously — multiple bounced paychecks. One worker named Erica, who has worked with the chain for the past 3 years, has had difficulty cashing her checks since September 2023. This along with many other examples is why the workers are calling for consistent hours, the end of payment issues, and standardized training.
The context of this action started on October 7 when workers at the Ypsilanti Restaurant and other locations delivered a petition to the corporate office in Ferndale Michigan. The reaction from Bobcat was to close down the Ypsilanti location without giving much notice to the workers. They even went so far as to change the locks and put up security cameras at the location. This did not only affect the workers there but also the community suffered. For instance, the building in which the restaurant was attached houses a local gay bar called the Keystone and had been an important meeting place for the Ypsi LGBTQ+ community. When the workers continued to fight for their right to organize, Matt Buskard, the owner of the restaurant chain, responded by avoiding any negotiations with the workers and downplaying the abuse that the staff at Bobcats suffered.
This type of abuse is unfortunately not uncommon within the food service industry as there have been multiple insistence of harassment, most notably towards female members of staff with over 70 percent of female restaurant employees having experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore there have been multiple instances of owners in the foodservice industry caught not paying or reducing wages because their employees receive tips. These conditions, along with the industry having some of the lowest unionization rates in the country, have created a situation where workers who have already suffered greatly due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to do so post lockdown.
The abuse of workers in the food service industry is not unique under the continued exploitation of capitalism. It is, however, a blatant example of the extent to which the owners of capital and “small businesses” will use and abuse their workers for profit. This is why it is important as members of the working class to stand in solidarity with those at Bobcat Bonnie’s who are demanding either the reopening of the Ypsilanti location or two weeks of severance pay, the end of all payroll issues, consistent scheduling, and standardized training. Only by acting collectively, can the real power of the working class be realized.
Update: On October 18, workers at Bobcat Bonnie’s ended their picket after winning severance pay.
On October 17, the workers from the recently closed Ypsilanti location of the restaurant chain Bobcat Bonnie’s joined forces with members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the community to picket at the Ferndale location. This action is in response to the repeated mistreatment that workers across the chain have experienced. This includes not giving workers consistent hours, inappropriate comments towards staff, lack of communication between management and staff, and — most egregiously — multiple bounced paychecks. One worker named Erica, who has worked with the chain for the past 3 years, has had difficulty cashing her checks since September 2023. This along with many other examples is why the workers are calling for consistent hours, the end of payment issues, and standardized training.
The context of this action started on October 7 when workers at the Ypsilanti Restaurant and other locations delivered a petition to the corporate office in Ferndale Michigan. The reaction from Bobcat was to close down the Ypsilanti location without giving much notice to the workers. They even went so far as to change the locks and put up security cameras at the location. This did not only affect the workers there but also the community suffered. For instance, the building in which the restaurant was attached houses a local gay bar called the Keystone and had been an important meeting place for the Ypsi LGBTQ+ community. When the workers continued to fight for their right to organize, Matt Buskard, the owner of the restaurant chain, responded by avoiding any negotiations with the workers and downplaying the abuse that the staff at Bobcats suffered.
This type of abuse is unfortunately not uncommon within the food service industry as there have been multiple insistence of harassment, most notably towards female members of staff with over 70 percent of female restaurant employees having experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore there have been multiple instances of owners in the foodservice industry caught not paying or reducing wages because their employees receive tips. These conditions, along with the industry having some of the lowest unionization rates in the country, have created a situation where workers who have already suffered greatly due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to do so post lockdown.
The abuse of workers in the food service industry is not unique under the continued exploitation of capitalism. It is, however, a blatant example of the extent to which the owners of capital and “small businesses” will use and abuse their workers for profit. This is why it is important as members of the working class to stand in solidarity with those at Bobcat Bonnie’s who are demanding either the reopening of the Ypsilanti location or two weeks of severance pay, the end of all payroll issues, consistent scheduling, and standardized training. Only by acting collectively, can the real power of the working class be realized.
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