What is ROC-LA?
ROC-LA is an affiliate of ROC-United, a national restaurant workers' organization that engages in six programs:
1) developing new restaurant worker organizing projects
2) providing training and technical assistance to restaurant worker organizing projects
3) conducting national research on the restaurant industry
4) engaging in national policy work to improve working conditions for restaurant workers, including initiating and managing a national restaurant worker health insurance program
5) coordinating national campaigns of restaurant workers
6) convening restaurant workers across the country
What is the history of ROC-United?
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) was launched in January 2008 based on calls for support from around the country. The Co-Founders of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) organized the country's first national restaurant workers' convening in Chicago in August 2007, where ROC-United was born.
ROC-United is helping to start ROC branches around the country based on the experience of the ROC-NY model. Since its founding after 9/11, ROC-NY has successfully conducted restaurant workplace justice campaigns, provided job training and placement, opened its own cooperative restaurant, and conducted research and policy work. Although initially founded after September 11th, 2001 to provide support to restaurant workers displaced as a result of the World Trade Center tragedy, ROC-NY has grown to support restaurant workers all over New York City and advocate for improved working conditions.
Over the last five years, we have won nine workplace justice campaigns against exploitative high-profile restaurant companies, obtaining $5,000,000 and improvements in workplace policies for restaurant workers. We have also trained more than 1000 restaurant workers to find good jobs and advance within the industry, published three ground-breaking reports on the restaurant industry, played an instrumental role in winning a statewide minimum wage increase for tipped workers, organized 40 restaurant workers to open their own cooperatively-owned restaurant, and grown to include 3200 restaurant workers in our membership.
Based on our successful efforts in New York City, groups in several other cities have approached us about initiating ROC branches in their cities. Thus, we created ROC-United, a national intermediary that has helped to initiate Restaurant Opportunities Centers in New Orleans, Maine, Michigan, Miami, and Chicago. In each region, we are working with local groups to conduct a comprehensive study of restaurant workers' needs, and creating an advanced restaurant worker training and placement program that seeks to place workers in high-end restaurant jobs.
What is the ROC model?
The ROC model involves ‘surrounding the industry' - a tri-pronged approach to building power for restaurant workers. ROC simultaneously 1) conducts comprehensive research and policy work to raise consciousness and lift standards for workers in the industry; 2) organizes workers to demonstrate public consequences for employers who take the ‘low-road' to profitability, by violating workers' legal rights; and 3) promotes ‘high-road' restaurant owners that pay and treat their workers well.
Contact Us
634 South Spring Steet, Suite 614,
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Phone: (213) 489-9052
