‘We All Quit’: Restaurant Signs Claiming Staff Walking Out Are Popping Up Across U.S.
WE ARE CLOSED #WEARECLOSED
Photos are emerging of signs at restaurants saying that they are closed or understaffed after their employees quit.
Devita Davidson shared a collection of signs on restaurant windows and said: “We’re literally watching the largest labor movement in modern American history happen in the form of paper signs taped to the windows of fast-food and fast-casual restaurants!”
One sign on a Hardee’s window said: “Due to no staff, we are closed. We are hiring,” while a Wendy’s sign said: “We all quit!! Closed!!”
A sign on a Chipotle window said: “Attention Chipotle customers. Want to know why we’re closed? Ask our corporate offices why their employees are forced to work in borderline sweatshop conditions for 8+ hours without breaks. We are overworked, understaffed, underpaid, and underappreciated.
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“Almost the entire management and crew have walked out until further notice. People should be > profits. Repost this if you agree. Help spread awareness #freechipworkers #fairwages #fairhoursfairwages #giveusabreak.”
Twitter users responded to Davidson’s post, which has more than 100,000 likes, by sharing similar photos they have spotted at their local restaurants.
Kelly McCarthy shared a picture of a sign she spotted that said: “Please be patient with the staff that did show up. No one wants to work anymore” and added: “As seen in Holly Ridge, NC at a locally owned restaurant. Great food, great staff. Packed restaurant. Staff deserve a living wage and benefits.”
Natalie shared a photo of a sign that said: “We are temporarily closed because people do not show up for the job they signed up for.”
Restaurants have reported having difficulty hiring enough staff as they reopen following the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
For example, employers in San Diego have said that they cannot compete with the $300 weekly unemployment benefits laid-off workers are receiving from the federal government. Meanwhile, a McDonald’s in Florida is paying $50 to applicants who turn up to an interview as it struggles to attract potential employees.
Food services workers and fast-food cooks are among the workers that are paid the least.
On a list of the 100 lowest paying jobs in the U.S., food cooking machine operators and tenders rank 94, cooks rank 71, bakers rank 56, restaurant cooks rank 34, and bartenders rank 26.
Furthermore, food preparation and serving related workers rank 21, waiters and waitresses rank 20, food servers outside of restaurants rank 19, cooks at quick-service restaurants and coffee shops rank 16, food preparation workers rank 14, and dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers rank 10.
Finally, dishwashers have the fifth-lowest paying job in the U.S., hosts at restaurants, lounges, and coffee shops are fourth, fast food and counter workers are third, and fast-food cooks have the overall lowest paying job, with an annual mean wage of $24,300, 56.8 percent below mean for all occupations.
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