Organizational Mission and Accomplishments

1. Organizational Mission and Accomplishments Although initially founded after September 11, 2001 to provide support to restaurant workers displaced as a result of the World Trade Center tragedy, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) has grown to organize restaurant workers all over New York City for improved working conditions. Over the last five years, ROC-NY has won eight campaigns against exploitative employers, winning over $580,000 in unpaid wages and discrimination payments, and has been able to win considerable workplace changes. We were instrumental in organizing restaurant workers to ensure that they were included in the New York State minimum wage increase. We also published a groundbreaking report on the restaurant industry, From this research, we formed the first Restaurant Industry Roundtable, a regular convening of ‘high-road’ restaurateurs, which won a Mayor funded restaurant owner education program and has developed a joint code of conduct to promote good working conditions in the industry. We have been able to successfully organize 50 restaurant workers to open their own cooperatively-owned restaurant, COLORS, and were able to introduce the Responsible Restaurant Licensing Act into City Council. We have been successful in creating a truly multi-racial organization by engaging immigrant and nonimmigrant people of color in genuine common campaigns for workplace justice.

2. Description of the Project ROC-NY is initiating a new Restaurant Worker Health Project. The project will include three components: • a restaurant worker health and safety peer education program; • a regular program of health fairs and clinical exams for restaurant workers; • and a policy initiative to develop the leadership of restaurant workers so that they may educate policymakers about the need for greater regulation of restaurants on occupational safety and health issues. We will base these programs on an initial health assessment of at least 200 restaurant workers. The program will be staffed by four key personnel on the ROC-NY staff, and will take place over a three-year period.

3. Overview of the target population(s) and community • More than 70% of all New York City restaurant workers are immigrants from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Arab world, and approximately 40% are undocumented. • 161,508 restaurant workers in NYC, 99% non-union

4. Goals of the project • 1) Understand the extent and nature of low-wage immigrant workers’ health resource and information needs; • 2) Educate workers about their occupational health and safety rights and about free or low-cost health programs for them to access; • 3) Offer free health exams and services to low-wage immigrant restaurant workers; and • 4) Develop the leadership of several low-wage immigrant workers so that they may voice their health needs and concerns to local policy-makers. The program will help low-wage immigrant workers by educating them about health resources and their occupational safety and health rights, providing actual health services to these workers, and increasing their ability to influence policy changes to improve their occupational health and safety conditions.

5. How people benefit • 1) campaigning against exploitative restaurant companies; •  We won more than $ 580,000 • 2) educating local legislators about the need for good policy; •  Intro 569 • 3) ensuring COLORS’ success and training the worker-owners to be citywide advocates for workers’ rights; and •  40 workers owners • 4) conducting research and policy campaigns on discrimination and health and safety in the restaurant industry. •  publications that exposed rest. Workers issues to national attention