Fast Food Workers Reject Final Pay Offer

Fast food workers from the SuperSizeMyPay.com campaign voted 100% against the Restaurant Brands’ final offer at a stopwork meeting in Auckland today.

Today’s meeting brought together union delegates from KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks stores in Auckland who voted unanimously against the company’s offer, and restated their support for the SuperSizeMyPay.Com demands of a $12 minimum wage, an end to youth rates and secure hours.

Susan Tuaniu, a mother of five and shift supervisor at Lincoln Rd KFC said that the company’s offer would only give her an extra $20 in the hand each week and would decrease the pay difference for people with more responsibility.

“I led a strike at my store because the minimum wage increase of 75c on March 27 won’t alleviate poverty. Many workers will still have to remain on benefits to supplement their income and New Zealanders will continue to subsidise big businesses like Restaurant Brands. Our $12 an hour claim is a first step against poverty wages”

Sam Van der Kolk, 15, a KFC worker from Balmoral, who currently earns $7.13 an hour, said that he was disappointed that the while the company had recognised that youth rates were unfair by promising to remove them in 3-5 years their offer meant a pay rise to only $8.76. This is still well below the new minimum adult wage of $10.25.

“It will take 3 years of doing exactly the same job as my older co-workers until I get the same pay. The majority of my mates at work are under 18, we went on strike because people should get equal pay for equal work” he said.

Parnell Starbucks shift-manager has to do several part-time jobs because she can’t get guaranteed hours. “Many of my friends who joined the Starbucks strike have their hours and shifts constantly changing each week,” she said.

SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign co-ordinator, Simon Oosterman, said that now that the workers had rejected the company’s final offer, that they would take the message to the general public and customers for support, before taking widespread industrial action.

“The SuperSizeMyPay.Com campaign began with short two-hour, non-disruptive strikes at a Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut. The goal of these actions was to draw public attention to the plight of low paid workers in New Zealand, not to disrupt customers. Many fast food customers are on minimum wages themselves and Restaurant Brands was notified of each strike in advance” he said.

“Restaurant Brands have not listen to the workers, nor have they listened to community groups such as Make Poverty History, the Council of Trade Unions and the Green Party who support our workers demands. If Restaurant Brands doesn’t listen to the broader public and their customers workers will be forced to take industrial action to win their demands. Workers cannot continue to face their lives being disrupted by insecure hours and poverty wages” said Mr Oosterman.

The broader public have been invited to a mass rally and stop work meeting in the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday February 12 at 2pm to support the campaign. It will be hosted by Rhombus lead singer, Imon Star and will hear accounts of the effects of poverty wages on fast food workers. The rally has been organised by Unite Union with the support of the National Distribution Union which represents many similarly low-paid workers in retail and distribution.

ENDS

A summary of the Restaurant Brands final offer is included below: Restaurant Brands Final Offer

Existing Contract Companies 3rd Offer Union Minimum Claim New Legal Minimum Wage
Pizza Hut KFC Starbucks Pizza Hut KFC Starbucks All Fast Food
15 $7.30 $6.89 $10.00 $8.76 $8.76 $10.75 $12 None
16 $8.08 $7.80 $10.00 $8.76 $8.76 $10.75 $12 $8.20
16 Gold $8.39 $8.06 $10.50 (core 1/core 2) $9.26 $9.26 $11.25 $13
17 $8.55 $8.26 $10.00 $9.06 $9.06 $10.75 $12 $8.20
17 Gold $8.87 $8.52 $10.50 (core 1/core 2) $9.56 $9.56 $11.25 $13
18 $9.50 $9.50 $10.00 $10.25 $10.25 $10.75 $12 $10.25
18 Gold $9.86 $10.10 $10.50 (core 1/core 2) $10.61 $10.61 $11.25 $13
18 LAS $10.36 $10.56 $11.00 (*Also under 18) $10.88 $10.88 $11.75 $14

The key points of the offer are as follows.
Youth rates
* Restaurant brands have agreed to do away with the 15 year old rate immediately. A 15 year old will be paid the same as a 16 year old. They have agreed to get rid of ALL youth rates within 3-4 years.

* The base rate for 16 year olds will be raised by 5% and by 8% for 17 year olds above the new minimum wage.

* Shift supervisors under the age of 18 will be paid the adult rate.

Restaurant brands has no youth rates for workers at the call centre or at Starbucks but won’t pass this on to all workers for 3-4 years Security of hours

* Any new shifts/hours, or shifts/hours that become available, will be offered to existing staff first.

Restaurant brands won’t guarantee hours and will keep the part time/casual nature of the company Wage rates

* KFC and Pizza Hut workers will get the same pay (Pizza Hut rates are currently less in some cases). Starbucks workers will be paid differently.

* All Starbucks workers will receive a 75c per hour pay rise. Workers at Pizza Hut and KFC get a different deal. Overall wages at Pizza Hut and KFC will increase due to the change in minimum wage laws. Because not all KFC and Pizza Hut workers will get a 75c increase the difference between wage scales is decreased: by 24c an hour for Pizza Hut workers going onto gold, 19c per hour going onto LAS and 23c per hour for KFC workers going onto LAS from gold.

Wages will remain below the $12 per hour poverty line Entitlements

1. Number of uniforms per shift - 1 shift per week = 1 uniform, 2 shifts per week = 2 uniforms, 3 or more shifts per week = 3 uniforms

2. Drive through jackets- Each KFC store will be provided with 3 jackets,

3. Starbucks Assistant Manager position-The Employer agrees to employ Assistant Mangers in high volume stores.

4. Hearing Tests - Where there is a health and safety issue with respect to hearing, the H&S Manager will ensure a hearing test is undertaken at the Employer’s expense.

5. Vehicle Use -Where an employee is required to use their own vehicle for banking purposes, the appropriate IRD rate will be paid to the employee.

6. Restaurant brands will guarantee a 15 minute break every 3 hours and a proper 30 minute lunch break.

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