Teamsters Rally To Support US Foodservice Workers

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Hundreds of Teamsters rallied Friday in front of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) to denounce the organization’s anti-worker and anti-union lobbying activity and raise awareness of the plight of thousands of workers across the country who work at U.S. Foodservice. Chanting “Shame on you!” the demonstrators targeted the NRA for spending millions of dollars a year directly lobbying Congress on behalf of member institutions like U.S. Foodservice, to stop the passage of legislation crucial to workers, including the Employee Free Choice Act, increasing the minimum wage and the Fair Pay Restoration Act. “We need the protection of the Employee Free Choice Act,” Frank Solis, a 12-year employee of US Foodservice in Phoenix, told Union City. “My friends and colleagues have been harassed, intimidated and fired for trying to organize and win a union contract.” Ryan Proctor, a five-year worker at US Foodservice in Phoenix added “We’re not asking for raises - we just want to be treated fairly.” - story/photo by Adam Wright