Tartine workers launched an online petition asking the bakery to recall all laid off Tartine SF & Berkeley workers once restaurants are allowed to be back in operation.
In an open letter to Tartine Bakery founders Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson as well as chief operating officer Chris Jordan, laid off workers asked “to sit down with Tartine management negotiate how to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on Tartine employees.”
Open letter to Liz Pruiett, Chad Robertson, and Chris Jordan,
As you know, the outbreak of COVID-19 has deeply affected the restaurant industry in the Bay Area. We understand that Tartine has been forced to close because of the preventative measures of the government and due to drastically reduced business. These circumstances have caused acute hardship for Tartine workers. Because of that, we are requesting to sit down with management and negotiate how to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on Tartine employees.
Most Tartine workers have now been officially laid off. In the communications we have received from management, we have received no indication that we will have jobs once Tartine locations reopen. Workers thus far have been informed that we may reapply for jobs through the Tartine website when they are posted. This adds a huge amount of stress onto an already stressful situation. For many of us, we are attempting to figure out how to survive the next few months under the assumption that we would have jobs to return to once Tartine reopens. Instead, we have been pushed into an even more uncertain situation. We are proud of the work we do at Tartine, and proud to do our part to make Tartine the internationally renowned name it is – we just want the ability to continue that work.
Workers are also now facing an uncertain situation with regards to our health coverage. Many of us are now losing our jobs during an international pandemic. This is a bad time to not have health insurance. We appreciate that the company has extended benefits to the end of April, but we have no idea how long this emergency situation will last for. We ask that the company do the right thing and extend our healthcare coverage.
For those workers still coming to work at Tartine, they need as much assurance as possible that they will be protected if they need to call out of work. Those who are afraid they may be carrying the virus do not want to endanger their coworkers, Tartine customers, and make a bad situation worse. We need more protection and ability to take care of ourselves, our coworkers, and our community.
We are asking to sit down and negotiate. We are requesting:
– A Recall List of existing employees. All employees who were with Tartine at the time layoff notices were issued will be the first recalled to work, starting with the most senior employee in each classification. Tartine must recall these employees before attempting to hire any other workers. This list will be in effect for one year.
– Tartine extend all of our benefits for four months. Tartine can qualify for a loan under the CARES Act to provide these benefits, and would be subject to loan forgiveness.
– We receive 2 more weeks of paid sick leave.As this is a public letter, we call on all businesses in the hospitality and food service industry in the Bay Area to follow Tartine’s lead in committing to these three requests. We make the hospitality industry what it is. We are proud to do it and want to continue doing it. This is a time of crisis, and we are asking you to show leadership and do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Tartine Union Organizing Committee