Catherwood LibraryILR School

A Broadway-themed restaurant in New York that features singing servers has been fraught with labor disputes after the introduction of new management. For the aspiring Broadway stars serving at the restaurant, the change brought with it crackdowns on minor infractions like sipping hot water to alleviate stressed vocal chords and rigid scheduling policies that don’t allow employees to take off for auditions. After a series of firings, the servers decided to unionize, climbing on the counters of the diner and singing “We’re Not Gonna Take It”. Last Fall, the workers submitted a complaint to the NLRB, citing various union-busting tactics including preventing workers from organizing on Facebook and punishing people for getting involved with the union. The restaurant’s lawyers claim that the firings were due to an elaborate scheme in which employees stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the restaurant over time, but the district attorney’s office denied to say whether they were pursuing an investigation. A trial for the complaints was set for Tuesday, but a settlement was reached before the court date. The singers were offered their jobs back, with disciplinary histories expunged, and backpay was awarded to all 31 fired employees.