Fast food workers deserve Just Cause
For too many people, and especially for low-wage workers, two of the scariest words in the English language are: “you’re fired.”
Right now, tens of thousands of New Yorkers who work in the fast food industry are at risk of being fired without a just cause. A recent study found that 65% of fast-food workers who had been fired were not given any reason or notice.
It doesn’t have to be that way: Sign the petition to prevent fast food workers from unfair firings.
Princess Wright was unexpectedly fired from her job at the McDonald’s at Atlantic Center just two days before Thanksgiving in 2018. She had called her boss the day before to explain that she had a personal emergency and needed to miss her next shift. The manager said it was fine and found someone to cover for her, but when Princess walked in to work the next day she was abruptly fired.
Fast food workers told their stories today at a City Council hearing today, testifying in support of legislation I introduced along with Council Member Adrienne Adams to protect fast food workers from unfair firings. Our “Just Cause” legislation would require employers to give a warning before firing or significantly cutting hours, to give employees a chance to improve their performance or address issues, and to provide a written reason for their dismissal.
Princess ultimately got her job back, after going over her manager’s head to the store’s general manager. But the weeks without it set her back on her rent and she struggled for months to catch up.
Nearly every labor union contract provides protections against capricious firing for their members, but most non-unionized workers are “at-will employees,” which means they can be fired at any time.
Despite the precarity of their own low-wage jobs, fast food workers have become national leaders in the movement for dignity and respect in the workplace. After winning pay raises for millions of Americans with the Fight for $15 and establishing rights to fair scheduling, fast food workers are turning to unfair firings and layoffs as the next frontier for securing stable, decently-paying jobs.
I’m proud to be supporting them in this work, and hope you join the campaign.