The Economic Impact of the Pandemic Is Very Real for Us: A message from RWCF Grantee, Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund
By Nadia Marin-Molina, Co-Executive Director of NDLON
By making use of our existing network of worker centers and our deep connections with vulnerable immigrant workers, and with the support of organizations like the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, NDLON was able to quickly deploy aid to people whose survival is at stake.
"While we know that our health and wellbeing is first and foremost, and we are grateful for that, the economic impact of the pandemic is very real for us," said Petra. "Our savings were quickly gone after paying our most essential expenses so we were very grateful for the funds from the Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund."
Read more...
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Get the Restaurant Manager Check-in Resource Packet in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali & French
Restaurant managers can be important points of contact for workers as they try to navigate fast-changing and complex situations during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. RWCF volunteers created a compendium of national resources for restaurant managers so that they can help their front- and back-of-house teams access resources during challenging times.
We hope the Restaurant Manager Check-In Resource Packet provides tools to help managers assist staff, especially those with English language barriers and restricted access to the internet. It has information on unemployment, healthcare, crisis funds, paying bills, food security, legal services and more.
Please note that RWCF is not a law firm and this document does not constitute legal advice. This resource is meant to be helpful, but should not be considered legally authoritative.
Big thanks to volunteer Rebecca Palkovics for leading this initiative and all the volunteer translators who made the versions in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali and French possible.
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Join the Restaurant Managers Network!
Along with the Restaurant Manager Check-In Resource Packet, RWCF announced this month the creation of the Restaurant Managers Network. This group is a work in progress-just like our industry. In the coming months, we hope to bring together the voices and knowledge of restaurant managers from across the United States to help solve some of our industry's biggest, stickiest problems. As the network coalesces, we will send resources, invitations to #RWCFTalks and other events, and ideas for how to get actively involved making the hospitality industry more hospitable to workers.
We're also asking restaurant managers to give feedback to RWCF's Draft Restaurant Guidelines. We believe that restaurant managers will be essential in rebuilding a restaurant industry that is built on a pro-worker foundation. Sign up to join the Restaurant Managers Network today!
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RWCF Statistic of the Month:
2/3 of NYC Restaurant Jobs Gone
New Unemployment Numbers Show NYC Has Lost Two-Thirds of Its Food Jobs. Food and drinking places shed at least 234,000 jobs during the shutdown in the five boroughs, or nearly half a million jobs throughout the state, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on June 19. Just 105,000 city hospitality staffers were still working in May, when the metropolitan area had not yet reached the first phase of reopening - up from 91,000 in April. That's just a third of the jobs that were available in February. It's also the lowest level of hospitality industry employment since before December of 1992, constituting a temporary erasure of nearly 30 years worth of jobs growth.
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We''re Seeking Third-Round Grantees
RWCF's Grantmaking & Nonprofit Partnerships Committee is researching additional nonprofits across the nation that are well-positioned to provide America's restaurant workers food, rental assistance, mental health and substance abuse services, legal aid, assistance to immigrants and other vital emergency provisions. Based on current fundraising projections, RWCF will have a total of over $1.4M to grant to nonprofits serving workers in crisis. We welcome suggestions of nonprofits providing services to restaurant workers we should consider for a grant. These current grantees may also apply for additional funding:
On April 20, RWCF's board announced (full details here) the following first-round grants to national organizations totaling $150,000:
- National Day Laborers Organizing Network for the Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund | $40,000
- National Immigration Law Center | $40,000
- The LEE Initiative Restaurant Workers Relief Program | $25,000
- ProBono [dot] net | $15,000
- Ben's Friends | $15,000
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) | $15,000
On June 17, RWCF's board announced (full details here) the following second-round grants to local organizations totaling $290,000:
- Big-Table, Seattle, WA - $50,000
- Giving Kitchen, Atlanta, GA - $50,000
- Hot Bread Kitchen, Brooklyn, NY - $50,000
- La Cocina, San Francisco, CA - $25,000
- Make the Road NY, Brooklyn, NY - $25,000
- Pilot Light, Chicago, IL - $25,000
- Staff Meal/FestEvents Foundation, Dallas, TX - $40,000
- Support Staff, Chicago, IL - $25,000
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RWCF's Events Committee members aren't letting social distancing measures prevent them organizing new opportunities for restaurant workers to come together - online - to build community, learn together and get answers.
We''ve heard from HR professionals, unemployment experts, and many more about the tangible and financial support restaurant workers can seek during tough times. Next, we''re digging into mental health in the food & beverage industry. We''ll be joined by Laura Green from Support Staff, a Licensed Professional Counselor, Mental Health Educator, and Spirits Educator to understand not only the genesis and cultural perpetuation of mental illness in hospitality, but efforts, resources, and care available to workers and employers today to break the stigma and foster a healthy future at work.
Follow @RWCFUSA on Instagram to get more updates on upcoming IG Live sessions. RWCF will also provide regular updates on IG Live sessions on the Events page on our website.
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News We''re Following This Month
- CNBC: This chart shows the link between restaurant spending and new cases of coronavirus
- Eater: For Trans People in the Service Industry, Discrimination Is an Unfortunate Reality of the Job
- WaPo Opinion: U.S. workers need more power
- The City: Half of NYC's Immigrants are Unemployed Because of the Pandemic, Report Finds
- Eater NY: New NYC Restaurant Projects Aimed at Supporting Black Communities
- The Counter: Workers have filed 4,775 complaints to OSHA about exposure to Covid-19 on the job. The agency has issued only one citation to an employer.
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Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation in the News:
LA Times:
Talking takeout and Koreatown with Jonathan Park
Washington Post:
''There is no playbook': Restaurants are closing again after workers test positive for coronavirus
Bake:
National Bakery Day takes on new meaning this year
Lifestyle Asia:
Celebrity chefs launch a cookbook to raise funds for unemployed restaurant workers
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One Small Thing NOW
Help spread the word about the Restaurant Managers'' Network.
Know someone who is a restaurant manager? Forward this newsletter to them and encourage them to sign up. Or share the link to the Restaurant Managers Network page on your social media.
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