Proposal for the Addition of Workers Rights Education to be Included in PSCC Culinary Arts and Hospitality Curriculum

While Pellissippi State does a fantastic job training students to be diligent, hardworking, creative, and efficient employees, I believe that a focused effort needs to be made throughout the curriculum to ensure that students have a deep and workable understanding of how to protect themselves and their fellow workers once they transition into this notoriously challenging industry.
A study of 2000 hospitality workers showed that 30 percent leave a new job within 90 days, 53 percent are planning to leave their position in the immediate future, and a staggering 85 percent have experienced negative mental health symptoms within the past 12 months. To be clear, this is not due to the false, and frankly disrespectful, notion that "Nobody wants to work anymore." The cause of the mass exodus phenomenon and the high turnover rate that we see in our industry is due to rampant abuse, theft, and mistreatment perpetrated by employers. For example, 90 percent of women in our industry report sexual harassment in the workplace, a 60 percent higher rate than the average across all industries. Furthermore, the US Department of Labor found in a study of 9000 restaurants that 84 percent were actively committing wage theft. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also found that only 32 percent of hospitality workers are insured compared to 77 percent of the general labor force. These are just a few examples of the injustices that students will face when they graduate. It is our responsibility as educators and leaders in the industry to ensure that when the students inevitably encounter these injustices, they know how to recognize that their rights are being violated and have the proper tools to handle them in a professional setting without fear of retaliation from their employers.
By studying state and federal labor law and working with organizations such as the National Labor Relations Board along with industry union leadership we can build a curriculum for the students that not only prepares them to be effective workers but gives them the ability to become progressive leaders in our industry and build a better future for all workers.