Image via Google Photos / chayang
Popeyes
Workers with the Fight for $15 and a Union spoke out during a protest on Tuesday, about the dangerous working conditions in two Milwaukee Popeyes stores. Workers have been concerned about unsafe conditions such as busted water pipes, mouse droppings, and no heat inside the restaurant's lobbies for months when the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) issued a temporary closure order at the Popeyes on 29th and Capitol Drive and another on 62nd and Silver Spring Drive.
According to workers, the situation at the two Popeyes locations had been dire for months prior to the MHD closures. Shift lead Angela Whitelow stated, "Popeyes has told workers to come into work when it’s below zero weather, there isn’t any working heat inside the store, and water and ice is everywhere." Despite these dangerous conditions, workers who spoke up about their concerns were reportedly met with retaliation in the form of termination. Whitelow went on to say, "When workers spoke up about the dangerous conditions and went on strike, we were fired. As a single parent it’s scary and frustrating to go weeks without a paycheck."
Workers who were not scheduled to work since speaking up and the store's closure in late December have yet to be rehired by Zubha Pop Foods, LLC, the operator of both locations, despite the stores reopening on January 13th.
During the protest, workers demanded a voice on the job to report dangerous conditions and that they be fixed within 24 hours of workers notifying Popeyes. They will also demand that they be reinstated in their positions and receive back pay for the days the stores were closed. The workers will be standing in solidarity, demanding safe working conditions and fair treatment for all employees.
