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WHEREAS, Thanksgiving is one of the few days a year when we as Americans get to be together with our family members, friends, and loved ones; and
WHEREAS, when possible, and when it honors workplace tradition, Thanksgiving should be a day we spend at home with our families to celebrate our blessings; and
WHEREAS, when employees are being forced to work on a cherished national holiday, they should be fairly compensated for that sacrifice; and
WHEREAS, when a corporation refuses to provide holiday pay or a similar incentive to their employees for making that sacrifice, they hurt morale and undermine other businesses' and industries' labor standards; and
WHEREAS, the creeping holiday working hours at major retailers like Walmart, Macy's, Target, Best Buy, Staples, Toys R Us, and more show a cross-industry trend to push for corporate profit at the expense of our shared cultural values and the wellbeing of our citizens, who are forced to work longer hours under stressful conditions; and
WHEREAS, Capital Grille in Downtown Pittsburgh, owned by the Orlando, Florida-based Darden Restaurants Inc., the largest full-service restaurant corporation in the world with 2012 revenues of $7.99 billion, has traditionally and historically kept its doors closed on Thanksgiving;
WHEREAS, since first opening in 2007, there has been a steady and notable reduction of workplace benefits, including but not limited to modifications of employee raises and restructuring of position wages, holiday time, and employee discounts; and
WHEREAS, Darden is for the first time ordering its employees to work on Thanksgiving without any requisite incentive pay; and
WHEREAS, after a long series of workplace benefit reductions and eliminations, the employees of the Capital Grille located in Downtown Pittsburgh have decided to stand up and assert, together, that it is their right to a fair workplace and a Thanksgiving that they may share at home with family.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh stands with workers to protect our collective rights from corporate encroachment, especially since other large corporations like Costco, Nordstrom, Burlington Coat Factory, and more have publicly confirmed their commitment to respecting workers, families, and our society by remaining closed on Thanksgiving; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby oppose the Darden Corporation's choice to force Capital Grille's employees to work on Thanksgiving and to do so without holiday pay; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh supports the employees of Capital Grille and the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Pittsburgh as they speak up together to advocate for fair standards in the restaurant industry.