HUFFINGTON
03.10.13
DAMON DAHLEN
BREAD LINE
nEitzen, whose version of events
was corroborated by Jared Miller, another baker in attendance.
“They asked us to delay the vote.
“I read the Bible regularly,” VonEitzen added. “We don’t have
the same Bible.”
When asked about the unionbusting allegations, a Panera
spokesperson said the company
would not comment on legal matters, but stressed that “we take
our relationships with all of our
associates seriously, whether
they are employed by the company or a franchisee.”
In a statement, Bread of Life insisted that it treats its bakers with
fairness and respect.
“We have a good track record
of offering competitive pay and
benefits in our industry,” the company said. “As we understand it,
the issues that resulted in this
unionization effort pre-date Bread
of Life’s ownership of these cafes. We remain fully committed to
working within the law and treating our bakers and all associates
with fairness and respect.”
But the case of the Panera bakers shows just how difficult it is for
workers at a restaurant chain to organize to improve conditions. Several told HuffPost they either lost
work shifts or saw their employee
evaluations nosedive after coming
out in support of the union.
“I came into this thinking we
Protesters
rally outside
of a Burger
King in
N.Y. last
November as
part of the
“Fast Food
Forward”
campaign,
aimed at
giving the
workers of
fast food
companies
the right to
form a union.