DARDEN RESTAURANTS CLAIMS IT IS A

“LEADER IN THE FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.”

IS THIS WHAT LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE?

Darden Restaurants – the world’s largest full-service restaurant group and owner of Capital Grille, Red Lobster, Olive Garden & more – pays workers as low as $2.13/hour for tipped employees and $7.25/hour, or $15,080, for non-tipped employees, while their CEO, Clarence Otis, enjoys $8.5 million a year with over $20 million in stock options. They also do not provide paid sick days to their employees so they can afford to stay home when they are ill and not handle food served to customers.

Workers charge that Darden:

• - Fired black servers because they did not “fit the company standard” at their Capital Grille fine dining restaurant in Chevy Chase, MD
• - Prevents people of color & immigrants from accessing living wage positions, such as server and bartender, at their Capital Grille fine dining restaurant
• - Makes employees work through their breaks, work off the clock, & work overtime without compensating them
• - Overworks employees by forcing them to fill two or three different positions at the same time without any additional compensation
• - Does not provide paid sick days so workers are able to take time off when they are ill, protecting their own health and the health of consumers. Some workers report being forced to work while sick even when they have requested time off. 
• - Darden has retaliated against workers who have become involved in the Dignity at Darden campaign by cutting their hours, changing their shifts, and even termination of their employment  

I believe this treatment of workers is unacceptable. Employees at all of Darden Restaurants and all along Darden’s supply chain deserve to be given equal opportunities, to be fully and fairly compensated for their efforts, and to enjoy a safe and healthy workplace. Further, workers should not be retaliated against for exercising their legal right to organize in their workplace. Darden – have the courage to be a real leader and lift up industry standards.