Restaurant Opportunities Centers Roc United Inc

TO SERVE AS A RESOURCE AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION FOR LOW-INCOME AND OTHERWISE DISADVANTAGED RESTAURANT WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PROVIDING JOB TRAINING, SUPPORT SERVICES, RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY FOR NEEDY RESTAURANT WORK

WORKER EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT ROC REACHED MORE THAN 2,200 NEW MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, SHOWING ABOUT A 97 PERCENT INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. SUNY EMPIRE COLLEGE PARTNERED WITH ROC SO THAT OUR MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, RETIREES AND FAMILY MEMBERS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE THEIR DEGREE ENTIRELY ONLINE, IN PERSON, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH, MARKING A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR CHOW INSTITUTE. ROC HAD NEARLY 5,000 MEDIA MENTIONS IN THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, ENGAGING WORKER LEADERS TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND RAISE THEIR VOICES. THAT WAS A NEARLY 200 PERCENT INCREASE FROM THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2021 THAN 2,500 MENTIONS IN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL MEDIA PLATFORMS NATIONWIDE ALONE. THE OFFICE OF PA ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH SHAPIRO PARTNERED WITH RESTAURANT WORKERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER, FEATURING A COLLABORATIVE AND INTERACTIVE WEBSITE THAT SERVES AS A PLATFORM FOR RESTAURANT WORKERS TO CREATE AND SHARE THEIR STORIES OF SUBSTANCE USE AND RECOVERY.

EMPLOYER EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT CHOW GRADUATES AND JOB PLACEMENTS. IN 2021, 300 WORKER MEMBERS GRADUATED FROM ROC UNITED CHOW INSTITUTE, AND AN OVERWHELMING 80 PERCENT OF THESE WORKERS HAD JOB PLACEMENTS. RESTRUCTURING CHOW CLASSES HELPED ROC EXCEED OUR GOAL AND KEEP OUR STUDENTS ATTENTION. IN 2021, ROC MI HELD 5 CLASSES, AS COMPARED TO 1 IN 2020. REMARKABLY, 60 OF ALL MI GRADUATES PLACED IN NEW OR UPGRADED POSITIONS THAT PROVIDE A LIVING WAGE. ROC MS ADDED 60 NEW MEMBERS LAST YEAR. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUTH BUILD, AN ORGANIZATION SERVING WORKERS AGES 16-24, ROC MS HELD ITS FIRST MS CHOW CLASS WITH 15 PARTICIPANTS IN NOVEMBER 2021. MORE THAN 100 GRADUATED FROM CHOW NY LAST YEAR. ABOUT 95 PERCENT OF THESE GRADUATES EARNED JOB PLACEMENTS WITHIN THREE MONTHS AFTER THEIR GRADUATION.

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE FOR RESTAURANT WORKERS WAGE-THEFT SETTLEMENTS. RESTAURANT WORKERS IN TENNESSEE, CALIFORNIA AND MINNESOTA WON NEARLY 2 MILLION IN UNPAID WAGES ONE OF THE BIGGEST WAGE SETTLEMENTS IN ROC UNITED HISTORY. ON MARCH 9, 2021, ROC TN MEMBERS WON A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT ON WAGE THEFT. STRATEGIC HOSPITALITY AGREED TO PAY 427,000, INCLUDING 247,400 IN BACK WAGES AND DAMAGES TO 261 WORKERS MANY OF WHOM ARE ROC TN MEMBERS. MORE THAN 200 RESTAURANT WORKERS IN MINNEAPOLIS WON A BIG VICTORY THE BARTMANN COMPANIES SETTLED TO PAY THESE WORKERS MORE THAN 230,000 IN BACK WAGES, OVERTIME AND DAMAGES. ROC MN CONDUCTED A PRESS CONFERENCE. ROC CA ORGANIZED ITS MEMBERS AT BAJA FRESH ACROSS THE STATE. IN 2021, CA STATE FINED A BAJA FRESH FRANCHISE IN THE FORM OF SEVEN SEPARATE AFFILIATED CORPORATIONS FOR WAGE THEFT OF 188 WORKERS, WHO WILL NOW RECEIVE 375,806 IN UNPAID WAGES. SOME OF THE MEDIA COVERAGE, AMONG OTHERS, ON WAGE-THEFT SETTLEMENTS INCLUDE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE, EATER LA, STAR TRIBUNE, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, AND MINNESOTA PRESS CONFERENCE WITH WORKERS