Restaurant Workers and Revolutin

[I'd Rather Be Drinking]

I'm in the process of writing a piece analyzing restaurants, their place within the economy and their potential from a communist perspective. I was wondering if anyone had any idea for readings on radical restaurant workers throughout history. It is extremely hard to find anything. I'm looking for anything you can give me a source for, even small anecdotes. All I've been able to find is stuff by George Orwell in "Down and Out in Paris and London" and "Homage to Catalonia" an article by Riff-Raff, and one book on the history of HERE. Any suggestions?

[amanondeathrow]

The IWW may be of intrest

Restaurant, Hotel, and Building Service Workers Industrial Union 640 (http://www.iww.org/unions/dept600/iu640/)

[rebelworker]

Hey man, long time no chat,

There is a zine called "Dishwasher" that Karen had for a while, written by a dishwasher who just travelles around writting about resteraunts in different parts of the states.

In the one I read he had an interesting history(breif) of dishwashing conditions and organizing in new york at the turn of the century. Not sure if thats much help to you, might be able to ask around and find it.

We still have a copy here so I could mabey get it out to you this summer.

Stik it to the man!(and respect the dishwashers, we have it worse than you out front types).

Dave

[Nachie]

I know the longest-running and most important Cuban anarchist newspaper was (I think) called Trabajo Gastronomico, or at any rate something gastronomico.

There's more information about it in Frank Fernandez' book on Cuba.

[Red Axis]

The question should be, will restaurants exist in the communist economy? I suppose they could, being only trivial capitalist ventures.

[Comeback Kid]

The question should be, will restaurants exist in the communist economy? I suppose they could, being only trivial capitalist ventures.

Dick.

Restaurants, pubs, coffee houses and such are a vital community social space. The workers at these venues are some of the lowest strata proletarians. Professional cookery is as much a fine art as impressionism or realism, taking years to master, with much more tangible results then alot of 'art' popular today (like trance, which fuck right off).

[Bilan]

Hey man, long time no chat,


Stik it to the man!(and respect the dishwashers, we have it worse than you out front types).



Hey man, I was a dishwasher, waiter, and a kitchen hand who copped alot of shit, as I did all this in a really upper class suburb!
Waiters cop it pretty hard, in my opinion. It aint the dishies who have to put up with the abuse of asshole customers.

As for the initial question, the best place to look is the IWW.
There's probably historical struggles you can find out about from your local union - in Australia, it's the SDA --who are rubbish, yes but they might have some info you're looking for.

[Comeback Kid]

Hey man, I was a dishwasher, waiter, and a kitchen hand who copped alot of shit, as I did all this in a really upper class suburb!
Waiters cop it pretty hard, in my opinion. It aint the dishies who have to put up with the abuse of asshole customers.

As for the initial question, the best place to look is the IWW.
There's probably historical struggles you can find out about from your local union - in Australia, it's the SDA --who are rubbish, yes but they might have some info you're looking for.

Its really depends weather you prefer to be elbow deep in shit for 8 hours a day or have people abuse you 8 hours a day (or 16 if your unlucky enough to get lumped with split shifts or doubles). tuff decisions.

Who is the SDA? Was going to join LHMW, but it has a bad rep as being a lazy union.

[non-vio-resist]

rather be drinking, i know there is a co-op restaurant in nyc that was started by a union-like restaurant worker association. this could possibly be of use to you as a case studey. the details, i know, are sketchy, but i read about it in z mag; i believe it was the nov. 2007 issue. as a student who works part-time in a restaurant, i'm delighted that you're doing the research. the name of that co-op restaurant is colors. they have a website. you know, i believe that co-ops are the wave of the future for leftists going into business for themselves, restaurants and beyond (in capitalist neo-liberal structures). cheers.

[RedDawn]

We have a pamphlet on organizing restaurants
I'm still too new to post links, but just search google for:

"manifesto of the fast food worker"

our org is socialist alternative.

Its one of my favorite pamphlets, basically tells you how to start a union.

UNITE HERE, SEIU, and IWW have all been organizing restaurant workers too.

[Bilan]

Its really depends weather you prefer to be elbow deep in shit for 8 hours a day or have people abuse you 8 hours a day (or 16 if your unlucky enough to get lumped with split shifts or doubles). tuff decisions.

Who is the SDA? Was going to join LHMW, but it has a bad rep as being a lazy union.

True dat.
I did both.
Though, I never really minded doing Dish washing, to be honest. It's not AS stressful as waitering, in my opinion.
And abuse is much more tiresome than dirt.

The SDA is a union in Australia. This is their site. (http://www.sda.org.au/)
they're rubbish, but they've probably got some info on past struggles.