Management wants to eliminate the service charge—a practice that has been in place for decades. For us, the service charge is steady, reliable income that we depend on to pay our rent and bills. We have discussed this among ourselves and voted unanimously—every worker wants to keep it.
Enter your address and click the “Start Writing” button to send a message to General Manager Norman Rich.
“Kurt Petersen, the co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, the union representing the restaurant’s workers, told LAist they’ve come to an agreement with Hope the Mission so that all the staff who lost their jobs when The Pantry closed will be able to return to their previous positions.”
Workers at the Long Beach Yacht Club are fighting for a new contract. Management wants to take away the Service Charge in the new contract and is offering minimum raises. Servers and bartenders at the Yacht Club have relied on the service charge to pay their bills and raise their families. Adding insult to injury the club has offered a ¢40 raise over three years to all back of the house workers, some who have worked there for over 45 years!
Santa Monica City Council unanimously passed the Work Ordinance last night on second reading. This ordinance expands worker recall protections and helps keep families stable in our community. Thank you to Mayor Torosis, Councilmembers Hall and Raskin for leading the way . This is a huge win for workers with a balanced approach that supports workers, local business, and our community, bringing stability and fairness for hospitality workers in Santa Monica.
At the first reading a week before, workers from Rusty’s spoke about getting laid off when the restaurant closed last year and hoping that they will retain their jobs now that it is about to reopen as a new restaurant.
Nothing like a Sunday afternoon picket at the Long Beach Yacht Club! Workers united for a better contract!
Workers at the Long Beach Yacht Club voted 100% to authorize a strike. If the company doesn’t give them what they are asking for, they will go on strike once their contract expires December 31!
Earlier this year, Rusty’s Surf Ranch, a longtime fixture on the Santa Monica Pier, abruptly closed its doors. This closure left devoted workers, some with more than a decade of service, suddenly unemployed. Now, a new bar and restaurant, California Roadhouse, plans to open in Rusty’s former location.
Behind closed doors and without any public notice, the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, a body created by the City Council to manage the Pier on behalf of residents, recommended approval of the new 5 year lease out of public view, with no public agenda, no community input, and no guarantee that longtime workers would have the opportunity to reclaim their jobs.
Members of UNITE HERE Local 11 Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice gathered outside The Original Pantry Café on Ash Wednesday to dispense ashes and offer blessings to the Pantry workers on what would otherwise be a normal work shift at the recently-shuttered LA icon. More images
The Original Pantry Café closed its doors for the last time at 5 PM yesterday, according to the entity that controls the restaurant. But long-time workers are seeking further talks with the Richard J. Riordan Trust, the entity that decided to close the restaurant, in an ongoing effort to keep the L.A. icon open under new ownership.
Last night, after workers wiped down the tables and mopped the floors, they gathered in the restaurant’s historic dining room while still in uniform and asked to speak with a representative from the Trust. Trust representatives refused to speak with the workers and instead called the police on The Pantry’s employees.
Under threat of arrest, workers exited the restaurant peacefully at 7 PM to the cheers and applause of supporters rallying outside. The LAPD briefly detained and cited UNITE HERE Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen.
“Mayor Riordan’s heirs and the trustees of his estate have chosen to discard these workers in a shameless move straight out of Elon Musk’s playbook,” said Petersen. “I think the late mayor would be appalled at the greed on display.”
In negotiations with UNITE HERE Local 11, the union that represents the workers, The Pantry gave its employees an ultimatum: The restaurant will shut down and fire all workers unless workers give up their demand for job security and continued union representation when the restaurant changes hands.
Maricela Granados, a 26-year server known by her long-time customers as Mary G., said as she left the restaurant, “I didn’t believe they would really close and kick us all out. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next, but I won’t stop fighting for the Pantry.”
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice have launched a GoFundMe for the fired workers.
Los Angeles: Political leaders like Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price, State Senator Lola Smallwood Cuevas, and others plan to rally alongside Pantry workers to urge the Richard J. Riordan Trust to resolve the labor dispute and pull back from its decision to close the Pantry.
Earlier this week, the Original Pantry workers and the union representing them, UNITE HERE Local 11, met with The Richard J. Riordan Trust, who since Mr. Riordan’s passing in 2023, has assumed control of the historic restaurant.
The Richard J. Riordan Trust continues to be set on its intention to close the restaurant on Sunday, March 2nd at 5pm. In negotiations, The Pantry reasserted its ultimatum to employees: The restaurant will shut down and fire all workers unless workers give up their demand for job security and continued union representation when the restaurant changes hands.
The Pantry threatened to close the restaurant despite the over one hundred letters from customers urging the Trust to keep the restaurant open.
In spite of The Pantry’s threat, workers remain committed to saving their jobs, keeping their union, and maintaining the 100-year old institution open.
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice and the community plans to have an Ash Wednesday action on March 5th between 7am-8am to gather and pray outside the Pantry, workers encourage the community to attend.
