The role labor unions and worker centers play in restaurant industry equality

This thesis focuses on both union and worker center labor organizing strategies in the restaurant industry in order to better understand how restaurant workers can seek justice. The restaurant industry has a reputation for being difficult to organize; therefore, the purpose of this research is to uncover the role unions and worker centers play in addressing gender, race, class inequality in the restaurant industry. Restaurant workers are plagued by low wages, low job mobility, lack of job security, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and gender and racial segregation. Business practices that encourage inequality is a social problem relevant to social justice and social change in the food system because they exploit workers. This thesis asks: what role do unions and worker centers play in addressing inequality in the restaurant industry?