LOOKING

UNDER THE ROC

What you need to know about Big Labor front

group Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC)
and its founder Saru Jayaraman

July 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On the day before the New York Democrat Primary this spring, Hillary Clinton visited a New York City restaurant called
COLORS to highlight her support for a higher minimum wage. Little-mentioned at the time was that the Greenwich Village
restaurant is actually owned by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC), a liberal activist group backed by
organized labor, and Clintons visit stands as an important milestone in a years-long campaign for political influence by
ROC and its founder, the activist and author Saru Jayaraman.
Founded in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by former unionized employees of the World Trade Center restaurant
Windows on the World, ROC has for years agitated against the restaurant industry, using highly aggressive tactics to press
for wage hikes and force unionization in kitchens and dining rooms across the country.
But aside from a few intrepid investigative reports, there has been very little scrutiny of whether ROC and its founder,
Saru Jayaraman, live up to their high-minded rhetoric about worker rights and social justice. Indeed, this white paper
looks under the ROC to see how the activist group and Jayaraman are actually masking their true intentions on higher
wages, and spotlighting their record of failing to uphold the standards they set for the rest of the restaurant industry:

$21 Minimum Wage. ROC and founder Saru Jayaraman are key supporters of the Fight for $15 minimum wage
campaign, but Jayaraman was caught on camera this month stating that $15 isnt really the goal that a liveable wage
would need to be upwards of $21 per hour.

Sexual Harassment Hypocrisy. ROC and Jayaraman routinely attack the restaurant industry for wage policies they say
encourage a climate of sexual harassment and assault. But in her new book, Forked, Jayaraman actually highlights as a
success story a North Carolina restaurant co-owned by a registered sex offender. Moreover, ROC hired a PR firm headed
by a serial sexual harasser to lead a campaign opposing sexual harassment in the restaurant industry.

Unsanitary Conditions. The ROC-owned New York City restaurant COLORS was found to be in critical violation of
multiple sanitary violations by the NYC Health Department, including rodents, as recently as May 2015. COLORS has
also had severe financial difficulties, was sued by former ROC members for breach of contract, and was closed for two
years from 2012-2014. COLORS less than acceptable conditions were noted in a letter sent from the House Oversight
Committee to the Department of Labor. Jayaramans book also highlights as a success story a DC restaurant, the Florida
Avenue Grill, that has been closed by the City health department for rodents and other violations three times in the last five
years.

Failing Economics. Jayaramans book urges the restaurant industry to follow the examples of the smart, profitable, and
caring employers in this book. But one of the success stories highlighted in her book Manifesto Caf in Los Angeles
has been closed since last September.

ROC scored its latest victory late last month when the Democrat Conventions Platform Committee approved language
calling for a nationwide $15 minimum wage even for tipped workers, who already earn well above $15 per hour
on average due to tips. While employers across the nation warn that these policies could cripple their businesses,
accelerate the move to automation, and force massive job losses, these developments confirm that ROC while littleknown to the American public continues to exert powerful influence at a time when Democrats are lurching left on
nearly every issue.

$21 MINIMUM WAGE

ROC ACTUALLY ADVOCATES MINIMUM WAGE FAR HIGHER

THAN $15 UP TO $21 PER HOUR

ROC Is Central Player In The Union-Funded Fight For $15 Campaign

ROC Has Been A Strong And Active Supporter Of The Fight For $15 Minimum Wage Movement. Today, over two
hundred and fifty protesters delivered a letter to the DC Chamber of Commerce calling on the organization to stop opposing
a minimum wage increase for working Washingtonians. The group was made up of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United
members, workers from Jobs With Justice, and supporters of the DC for $15 campaign. The DC Chamber of Commerce is
doing everything they can to subvert the democratic process because they know that the people want this ballot initiative,
said Saru Jayaraman, the co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. DCs low wage earners and tipped
workers especially, who only make the subminimum wage of $2.77 an hour deserve a raise. Its a shame the Chamber will
go this far to perpetuate wage inequality that Washingtonians already have to live with. (250+ Restaurant Workers And
Advocates Demand DC Chamber End Opposition To One Fair $15 Wage, ROC Press Release, 2/12/16)

ROC Founder Saru Jayaraman Claimed Her Eventual Goal Was $15 Per Hour National Minimum Wage. Raising
the federal minimum wage for tipped workers up from $2.13 an hour o an eventual $15.00 an hour phasing out the twotiered wage system could amount to a projected $30.1 billion annual economic stimulus and more than $116 million
dollars saved each month in food stamp benefits by ensuring that our nations hardest working and lowest paid women
and men are able to earn a life sustaining wage. (Saru Jayaraman: New Federal $15 Minimum Wage Bill Victory For
Restaurant Workers And One Fair Wage Campaign, ROC Press Release, 7/21/15)

But Last Month In North Carolina, Jayaraman Was Caught On Camera Stating
That The Minimum Wage Ought To Be Much Higher Up To $21 Per Hour
The Leader Of A Group Fighting To Raise The Minimum Wage To $15 An Hour Revealed She Actually Wants
An Increase That Goes Much Higher. The leader of a group fighting to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour
revealed she actually wants an increase that goes much higher, according to a video released Wednesday. The
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) has done a lot to advocate for the $15 minimum wage. It is one
of many union-funded groups that has pushed for the policy both locally and nationally. ROC Founder Saru
Jayaraman told a small group April 28 in North Carolina that $15 is not enough, and advocates should be looking
to go much higher. (Connor Wolf, Fight For $15 Group Actually Wants Minimum Wage To Go Much Higher,
The Daily Caller, 5/6/16)

Saru Jayaraman: I think the best source to figure it out is the MIT living wage calculator. You can go on
to their website and it actually lets you put in where your live, your zip code and it tells you really if you
are taking into account child care and transportation and everything that people need to live You
are talking much higher $17, $21. So $15 is not a livable wage and I dont think anyone, I hope no
one is claiming that it is. I wouldnt think that it is even here in North Carolina. (Saru Jayaraman,
Durham, NC, 4/28/16)

The Video Was First Uncovered By The Conservative Opposition Research Group America
Rising Squared, Which Has Been Highly Critical Of How Advocates Push For The $15
Minimum Wage. (Connor Wolf, Fight For $15 Group Actually Wants Minimum Wage To Go
Much Higher, The Daily Caller, 5/6/16)
SEE VIDEO

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
HYPOCRISY

ROC And Its Founder Saru Jayaraman Argue That Tipped Minimum Wage And
Restaurant Industry Policies Foster Environment Of Sexual Harassment

Jayaramans 2016 Book Forked Says $2.13 Tipped Minimum Wage Supported By Restaurant Industry Exposes
Women To Sexual Harassment. Forcing women to live off tips also means that these women have to objectify themselves
to get their tips. This practice exposes women to sexual harassment not only from customers but also from co-workers
and managers. In fact, the restaurant industry is the single largest source of sexual-harassment complaints to the EEOC
of any industry in the United States. Seven percent of American women work in restaurants, but 37 percent of all sexual
harassment complaints to the EEOC come from the restaurant industry. (Saru Jayaraman, Forked, pg. 11)

But Jayaramans Book Highlights As Success Story A Restaurant Co-Owned By

Registered Sex Offender
Forked Highlights Vimalas Curryblossom Caf In Chapel Hill, NC As Example Of Excellence In The Restaurant
Industry. Like the story of the Olive Garden worker who was forced to work with Hepatitis A, the story of Vimalas
Curryblossom Caf also takes place in North Carolina but presents a diametrically opposite picture of working in a North
Carolina restaurant. Some reporters have called Vimalas story the story of the new South; I call it the story of a new
restaurant industry, and a new America. (Saru Jayaraman, Forked, pg. 52)

In Forked, Jayaraman Says $2.13 Tipped Minimum Wage Supported By Restaurant Industry Exposes
Women To Sexual Harassment. Forcing women to live off tips also means that these women have to objectify
themselves to get their tips. This practice exposes women to sexual harassment not only from customers
but also from co-workers and managers. In fact, the restaurant industry is the single largest source of sexualharassment complaints to the EEOC of any industry in the United States. Seven percent of American women
work in restaurants, but 37 percent of all sexual harassment complaints to the EEOC come from the restaurant
industry. (Saru Jayaraman, Forked, pg. 11)

ROC Called Vimalas A True Family Restauarant In A Tweet On January 28,1016. (ROC Twitter, 1/28/16)
Vimala And Her Husband Rush Greenslade Opened The
Curryblossom Caf In 2010. In 2010, Vimala and her
husband, Rush Greenslade, opened Vimalas Curryblossom
Caf, and immediately gained a devoted following. (JP
Morgan Chase Website, Accessed 2/7/16)

Greenslade Lists Himself As Owner Of

Curryblossom Creations On His LinkedIn Page.
(LinkedIn Website, Accessed 2/7/16)

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
HYPOCRISY

Greenslade Is Identified As General Manager Of Vimalas In Video Announcing Vimalas As Winner Of $100,000 JP
Morgan Chase Mission Main Street Grant
SEE VIDEO

Greenslade Is A Registered Sex Offender In North Carolina

Greenslade Is Registered As Sex Offender In North Carolinas Sex Offender Registry. (NC Sex Offender Registry
Website, Accessed 2/7/16)
NC Sex Offender Registry Website Lists Greenslade As Having Two Convictions For Indecent Liberty Minor With
A 12-Year Old. (NC Sex Offender Registry Website, Accessed 2/7/16)

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
HYPOCRISY

ROC Hired PR Firm Headed By Serial Sexual Harasser Trevor FitzGibbon To

Head Campaign Decrying Sexual Harassment In Restaurant Industry
The Huffington Post: FitzGibbon Media, A Prominent Progressive Public Relations Firm, Abruptly Shut Down On
Thursday Amid Allegations Of Sexual Harassment And Assault By The Companys President. FitzGibbon Media,
a prominent progressive public relations firm, abruptly shut down on Thursday amid allegations of sexual harassment
and assault by the companys president. Trevor FitzGibbon and his team worked with some of the biggest progressive
organizations, including NARAL, MoveOn, the Center for American Progress and the AFL-CIO, as well as Wikileaks, Chelsea
Manning and The Intercept. The company sponsored an event with The Huffington Post earlier this year. Multiple female
employees came forward with accusations of sexual harassment and assault against FitzGibbon, according to employees
who spoke with The Huffington Post. (The Disturbing Story Of Widespread Sexual Assault Allegations At A Major Progressive
PR Firm, The Huffington Post, 12/17/16)
ROC Hired FitzGibbon Media To Head A Public Pressure Campaign Against Sexual Harassment. The liberal activist
ousted from his own firm in the wake of sexual abuse allegations once headed a public pressure campaign against sexual
harassment. Trevor FitzGibbon was forced to shut down the public relations firm he founded after a group of former female
employees went public with allegations of repeated incidences of sexual harassment and abuse. FitzGibbon Media led a
public relations blitz from the Restaurant Opportunities Center-United, a union-funded group that has been active in pushes
for dramatic minimum wage hikes. The organization has argued that the minimum wage should be raised because
workers who rely on tips are more likely to be subject to flirting and other forms of sexual harassment on the job. (Bill
McMorris, Union Activists Hired Serial Sexual Harasser to Condemn Sexual Harassment, Washington Free Beacon,
12/23/15)

ROC Issued Statement Admitting It Had Hired FitzGibbon. (ROC Press Release, Accessed 2/8/16)

UN-SANITARY CONDITIONS AT
ROC ESTABLISHMENTS

ROCs Own Restaurant Found To Be In Violation Of New York City Health Code
NYC Department Of Health Found ROCs Greenwich Village Restaurant COLORS In Critical Violation Of City
Sanitary Standards. (NYC Department Of Health Website, Accessed 2/8/16)

Last Year On May 29, 2015 NYC Department of Health Inspection Found COLORS To Have Five Sanitary
Violations, Including Three Critical Violations: Evidence Of Mice Or Live Mice Present In Facilitys Food And/Or
Non-Food Areas, Bare Hand Contact With Food, And Lack Of Protection From Contamination. (NYC Department
Of Health Website, Accessed 2/8/16)

On February 5, 2014, Inspection Found COLORS With Two Critical Violations, Including Evidence Of
Mice Or Live Mice Present In Facilitys Food And/Or Non-Food Areas. (NYC Department Of Health Website,
Accessed 2/8/16)

On April 11, 2013, COLORS Was Found With Two Critical Violations, Including Evidence Of
Rats Or Live Rats Present In Facilitys Food And/Or Non-Food Areas. (NYC Department Of
Health Website, Accessed 2/8/16)

UN-SANITARY CONDITIONS AT
ROC ESTABLISHMENTS

Forked Highlights DCS Florida Avenue Grill, Which Has Been Closed By DC
Health Inspectors Three Times In The Last Five Years

Forked Spotlights Washington, DCs Florida Avenue Grill As Model Restaurant. As the Florida Avenue Grill continues
to experience a booming business, [owner Imar] Hutchins now faces questions of how to expand the same ones that
faced the Wilson family more than a half century ago. Hutchins approach is unsurprisingly progressive: in cooperation
with ROC, he is developing the second floor of the grill under a separate business imprint called COLORS on the
Grill. Expanding on Wilsons vision for a place where elected officials can meet the restaurant workers they impact
with legislation, COLORS on the Grill will also represent the tenets of sustainable fine dining and the economic
empowerment of low-wage workers to the promotion of healthy environments and communities. In all this, Hutchins
is embracing the idea of a triple bottom line at the Florida Avenue Grill: measuring success in terms of social,
environmental, and financial impact. (Saru Jayaraman, Forked, pg. 210)
Florida Avenue Grill Was Closed Twice In 2013 For DC Health Code Violations, Including Rodent
Infestation. Near Howard University, inspectors closed the soul food restaurant Florida Avenue Grill citing
mice dropping along with 12 other violations. In addition to rodent droppings, inspectors cited Florida
Avenue Grill for storing food on the floor, food at potentially hazardous temperatures, no thermometer, and
refrigerators at 58 and 60 degrees. The manager at Florida Avenue Grill tried to block our video cameras
and called the Metropolitan Police Department. DC Police explained to the manger of Florida Avenue Grill
that even Restaurant Alert reporters have the right to shoot stories on public DC streets. The police officer
allowed WUSA9 to continue our taping. (Iconic DC Soul Food Spot Suspended Twice For Health,
WUSA-9 News, 8/2/13)
Florida Avenue Grill Was Closed In 2010 For Failing To Minimize Pests And Operating Without A
License. (D.C., Maryland And Virginia Health Code Violations, The Washington Post, 2/25/10)

ROCs
FAILING ECONOMICS

ROC-Owned COLORS Restaurant Was Shut Down For Two Years Due To
Business Difficulties, Sued By Its Own Workers For Back Wages

COLORS Was Sued By Seven Former ROC-NY Members For Breach Of Contract For Work They Did To Help Open
Restaurant. It didnt help, either, that seven former ROC NY members sued the organization for breach of contract for work
they did to launch Colors before it opened. A federal judge ruled last year in ROC NYs favor, but the complaint set the stage
for the co-ops future problems. (Lisa Fickenscher, Restaurant Started By WTC Workers Will Expand Even As Nyc Outlet
Struggles, Crains New York Business, 6/28/10)
ROC-Owned COLORS Restaurant Was Shut Down For Two Years Before Reopening In 2014. Yesterday Colors, the
East Village venue that originally opened in 2006 as a cooperative owned and operated by former employees of Windows on
the World, made a surprise comeback as a full-service restaurant on Lafayette Street. The space had been host to private
events for some time and was more recently closed for two years (Hugh Merwin, Colors Comes Back To Life As A
Gluten-Free, Living-Wage-Paying Restaurant, Grub Street, 10/14/14)

ROC Touted A Restaurant That Was At The Center Of Drug Trafficking Network

ROC Called Inspire Barbecue In Washington D.C. A Model Employer. The restaurant was a regular showpiece for
ROC and was routinely featured as one of ROCs model employers testifying before the DC City Council and participating
in press conferences on ROC-endorsed best practices such as mandated paid leave and wage hikes. (Breaking Bad:
ROC Restaurant Takes The High Road, Worker Center Watch, Accessed 6/6/16)

ROC Said Inspire Barbecue Was A High Road Partner (ROC Of Washington D.C., Facebook Post, 5/7/12)

Inspire Barbecue Was At The Center Of Drug Trafficking Network With Drugs Run Through The Restaurant.
Authorities began tapping phones in May 2013 and had undercover informants buying drugs. The barbecue
restaurant on H Street, Inspire Barbecue, shuttered in June to make way for condominiums, seemed a central
hangout, and police said in court documents that they watched as drugs packaged in 12-inch-square cardboard
boxes arrived by Priority Mail. One box, authorities said, contained 1.5 kilos, or more than three pounds, of
cocaine. (Matt Zapotsky and Peter Hermann, Probe Of FBI Agent Has Devastating Effect On D.C. Drug
Cases, The Washington Post, 11/7/14)
Inspire Barbecues Chef Claimed Not To Know That Drugs Were Run Through The Restaurant.
The wiretap caught discussions of shipments of as much as 20 pounds of heroin, according to court
documents. Chef Furard Tate, who ran Inspire, said that he has known Pryor through family connections
for years but that he did not know anything about drugs being run through the restaurant. (Matt
Zapotsky and Peter Hermann, Probe Of FBI Agent Has Devastating Effect On D.C. Drug Cases, The
Washington Post, 11/7/14)

ROCs
FAILING ECONOMICS

Jayaramans Book Highlights Los Angeles Manifesto Caf, A Short-Lived Coffee

Shop Social Enterprise Which Has Been Closed Since September 2015
Forked Highlights Manifesto Caf As The Complete Antithesis Of Starbucks. Manifesto Caf opened in May 2014
and now carries a staff of seven employees. Carrying on its owners original mission, Nicholas and Christina focus on the
source and quality of the cafs offerings in addition to the revenue it generated. The Manifesto Caf sees itself as the
complete antithesis of Starbucks. Were trying to send a message that were going beyond being a coffee shop. Were not
just a coffee shop, were a place for civic engagement. (Saru Jayaraman, Forked, pp. 190-191)
Manifesto Caf Has Been Closed Since September 2015. (Manifesto Caf Facebook Page, Accessed 2/8/16)

ROCs Activities Led The House Oversight Committee To Investigate Federal

Funding They Have Received From The Department Of Labor

In July 2012, House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa Wrote To Labor Secretary Hilda Solis About Federal Funding
Received By ROC. U.S. Rep. Darrel Issa, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter
Tuesday to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis regarding the departments funding of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United.
The letter asks for documents so the committee can investigate the relationship. (Michael P. Tremoglie, Issa Wants Info
On Labor Departments Relationship With Restaurant Group, Legal News Line, 7/5/12)
In The Letter, Chairman Issa Highlighted That COLORS Had Received Health Violations And ROC Had A
Checkered History With Labor Relations. But Issa says ROC operates a restaurant in New York City called Colors,
which is guilty of the same offenses it accuses other restaurants of committing. ROCs restaurant has received
numerous citations for serious health violations during the past two years, Issa said. He cited some of these
violations, such as mice present in the food area, unsanitary food preparation surfaces, food not protected from
potential contamination and other issues. He emphasized that these violations occurred during multiple Health
Department inspections. Issa noted that ROCs labor relations history is checkered. They were sued by several
members who were promised an ownership share of the restaurant, but it allegedly never delivered on its
promise. (Michael P. Tremoglie, Issa Wants Info On Labor Departments Relationship With Restaurant Group,
Legal News Line, 7/5/12)
The Letter From The Oversight Committee Asked Why The Department Of Labor Would Fund A
Troubling And Controversial Group Like ROC. What the Committee wants to know is why the DOL
formed an alliance with and is funding an organization that is so controversial. Simply put, Issa asks Solis
why it is supporting a group which has a history of intimidation towards its opponents and management
problems with its own restaurant. According to Issa: ROC obtained a $275,000 federal grant in 2009;
the Assistant Secretary of Labor, William Spriggs, spoke at an ROC conference in 2011; OSHA formed
an alliance with ROC; and Solis personally introduced the leader of ROC at an event for restaurant
workers also in 2011. (Michael P. Tremoglie, Issa Wants Info On Labor Departments Relationship
With Restaurant Group, Legal News Line, 7/5/12)