‘We’re asking for $25/hour;’ Waffle House employees demand better pay

ATLANTA — Waffle House employees across the Southeast are demanding more pay. Employees held several rallies at restaurants, including Atlanta.

“We’re asking for $25/hour,” said Gerald Green.

Gerald Green said he has been working at Waffle House for years. “I am what they call a grill operator. I am a cook. I am a Rockstar cook. I have been at Waffle House for about seven years. I am the highest-level cook outside management.”

He feels like they should be getting paid a lot more.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

“Well I am a rockstar, so at my restaurant, I am making $17.75, said Green. That is why employees are demanding better pay.

“You’re constantly having to go from one job to the next,” said Green.

Employees protested at several locations across the Southeast, including Atlanta.

“It’s a campaign that USSW- Union of Southern Service Workers have launched at multiple Waffle Houses,” said Green.

Green said they are also asking for 24-hour security at all the restaurants.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Atlanta ‘Wild ‘N Out’ cast member’s sudden cause of death revealed
• Woman knocks down UGA student’s keyboard, reaches into his tip bucket
• 2 killed, 4 injured in 10-car crash that shut down I-285 for hours, authorities say

Channel 2 Action News was there in August when a former employee was shot and killed outside the Waffle House in Dekalb County.

“A lot of workers are hurt by customers. A lot of workers are mistreated by customers. People say it is funny seeing people in fights all the time, like we are not really MMA Fighters like people on-line say we are,” Green said.

A spokesperson for Waffle House released this statement:

“We are aware of the activities that took place yesterday at three of our locations in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, in which nearly all the people who protested were not Waffle House Associates. Very few, if any were employees, contrary to the embellished descriptions that union officials have presented in their press release and accompanying photos sent to the media. With that said, Waffle House remains proud of its long history of effectively and directly addressing Associate concerns. Our senior management teams continue to work alongside our Associates as they have done since our company’s inception.”

Employees are asking for Waffle House to stop doing meal deductions when they eat for breaks. They are also demanding restaurants to close during severe weather like hurricanes. They said this applies especially to the Florida locations.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

There is a petition. For more information click here.

IN OTHER NEWS:

WATCH: Metro firefighters come to the rescue after man collapses while trying to escape house fire

©2023 Cox Media Group