Workers at nine Jimmy John’s sandwich restaurant locations across Minneapolis walked out to demand better wages, sick days, regular breaks, compensation for injuries, and better working conditions among other things. The work stoppage was the birth of the Jimmy John’s Workers Union, an effort to organize the workers of the fast food franchise.
“I have been working at Jimmy John’s for over two years and they still pay me minimum wage and schedule me one-hour shifts,” said Jimmy John’s employee Rikki Olsen. “I’m working my way through school and can barely make ends meet. I’d get another job, but things are just as bad across the service industry. Companies like Jimmy John’s are profitable and growing, they need to provide quality jobs for the community.” (JJWU website, Sept., 2)
The Minneapolis franchise, owned by Mike and Rob Mulligan of Miklin Enterprises, Inc., pays minimum wage and offers full-time employment only for management positions. According to the Jimmy John’s Workers Union website, the owners of Miklin Enterprises, Inc. made an estimated $2.3 million in profit last year, and plan to open new stores soon.
“If Mike and Rob Mulligan [the owners] have the money to open four new stores, then they have the money to pay us more than minimum wage,” said a driver for Jimmy John’s. (JJWU, Sept. 3)
The franchise owners recently refused to meet with the union, provoking the workers to take action nationwide on Labor Day. Picketing and leafleting happened in 32 of the 39 states in which Jimmy John’s operates and brought business to a standstill on Sept. 2 with the support of 100 workers and allies.
“If Mike and Rob won’t just sit down and meet with us, we feel we have no other choice but to put pressure on them to listen. We are going to show Jimmy John’s corporate that if they don’t ensure that their franchise owners are respecting their employees, there will be consequences at the national level,” said Emily Przybylsky, a Jimmy John’s worker in Minneapolis. (JJWU, Sept. 3)
In an overt attack on the workers, the company has posted on Craigslist that it is hiring at all locations. The pay is only 50 cents more than what the rest of the workers are getting. (JJWU, Sept. 2)
The Jimmy John’s Workers Union was formed by, and is affiliated with, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The high degree of exploitation faced by Jimmy John’s workers is common in the fast food industry, and speaks volumes to the importance of labor organizing. This new development not only improves the position of the workers of the franchise vis-à-vis the company’s management, but may also set the stage for similar efforts in an industry with some of the lowest levels of labor organization. Militant efforts to organize workers are much needed to overcome the setbacks suffered by labor amid the economic crisis.
