However, Democratic senators announced in a rally Wednesday afternoon that they had raised funds to stop the layoffs scheduled to begin next week, although the company has not yet confirmed that anyone will be released. “The money has been found. No one needs to be fired. We are in this together for every employee,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told protesters as she and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Alex Padilla of California and O. Jeff Merkley from Oregon met with the Capitol Architect earlier Wednesday afternoon. A company spokesman said they were still waiting for the “official announcement” that there was money to be saved, but said Restaurant Associates was “very encouraged” by the news. “While we have not yet received an official announcement from the Capitol Architect, we are very encouraged by this report and will continue to work with UNITE HERE, the Senate and the Capitol Architect to support our staff,” she said. Restaurants Associates, referring to the trade union that the employees recently joined. However, cafeteria workers have long complained that their jobs are still threatened by the company, which reported instability in the budget process, meaning any win now could be short-lived. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota who was also in the rally, outlined three steps members can take immediately to help Senate cafeteria workers: Check in each month with Restaurant Associates and the Capitol Architect. work to reopen the building more tourists and encourage their staff to buy lunch at the building rather than outside. “You were here on the front line. You were here in the cafeteria. You were here, you had to change your schedule and have your families at home,” Klobuhar said. “It was really difficult. And you hung there for us” throughout the pandemic. Earlier Wednesday, Sen. Sherrod Brown and some of his colleagues said they were calling on Congress to provide adequate funding to help save those jobs, criticizing the company for the layoffs and claiming it seemed to reciprocate workers’ efforts to shape an association. “This is a private company that honestly does not like the fact that they have organized a union,” Brown said. “I think this is part of the problem from their point of view, but we will fight for these workers.” He added that they were working “as hard as any member of Congress and should be treated with dignity”. The Ohio Democrat has a history of working with Senate Cafeteria employees. In particular, he supported their salary increase a few years ago. Democratic Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey agreed with Brown that the layoffs were related to the recent workers’ union. “I think the company is shaky,” he said. “It’s not a coincidence for me. I suspect that – they have not made their new collective bargaining agreement and that they are trying to lay off all these workers just before then.” Both Booker and Brown attended Thursday’s rally. In a statement, the Restaurant Associates official added: “We have no animosity towards the Union and have a positive working relationship with UNITE HERE in the Senate and CVC, as well as in many other locations across the country. We are deeply concerned about our staff. continue to work with UNITE HERE, the Senate and the Architect of the Capitol to support them “. The company did not specify the number of employees being laid off. Brown acknowledged that the closed restaurants on the Hill were contributing to the problem. “We need to open this building so that the public is here in larger numbers and can go to these restaurants. The revenue is not what we would like it to be, what the company wants it to be,” he said. While union members are happy to have the support of senators, Sen. Cafetine Blackman, a clerk in the cafeteria, said, “I’m sure I want to see more than just words. willing to put in a little work, as long as we put in our work and more. “ “I know Cory Booker, I see him all the time, all the senators – I see them, they know me sometimes in person,” Anthony Thomas, an employee who has been heavily involved in the union’s struggle to prevent layoffs, told CNN. . Sometimes by their name. And I feel that, you know, they treat us like normal people as I feel the company should. “ He added: “I think he should be at the table with us during the negotiations, really, because at the end of the day, we serve them. We serve a company, but we also serve American senators from every state.” This story and title have been updated with additional developments on Wednesday.
