Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
52
KFC target of discrimination protest
A group of current and former employees picketed the Kentucky Fried Chicken on East Innes Street about four hours Sunday afternoon.
The protesters, who first picketed on Saturday, said they were fighting for equal treatment of employees, pay raises and more blacks in management.
"Iworked as a third assistant manager, but I was in training for the manager and assistant manager positions for eight months,"said Crystal Gaines, who said she worked at that KFC for seven years. "When Ididn't get it, Idecided to l
ave because I was treated unfairly."
Gaines, who organized the protest, left KFC in December 2003, but said while there, she was already doing the duties a manager and assistant manager would do
.
"It's not like I didn't know what Iwas doing because I had
trained other people who came there after me,"she said.
Gaines said she has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
"The part that is hard for us to understand is that some of the employees have been overlooked for management positions,"Gaines said. "Not because we are not qualified for the job ... but for various reasons that are being investigated by the EEOC."
Day Enterprises Inc. owns the KFC franchise at 628 E. Innes St. An official with the company could not be reached for comment, but the Innes Street branch released a written statement.
"Day Enterprises has always demonstrated their faith in their employees by contin
ually promoting from within the company," the release stated. "The company's mission statement is to create rewards for every associate, the community and the company by providing
lege
ndar
y service to
the customers."
The statement says Day Enterprises is an equal opportunity employer and that its "2003 Employer Inf
ormation Report shows that 48.98 percent of the company employees were white, with 41.02 percent black. The other company employees are Hispanic, 6.47 percent, Asian, 3.23 percent and American Indian, .26 percent."
More than 10 current and former workers fought the cold air along KFC's parking lot Sunday, several holding signs reading "Promote blacks,""Don't Eat KFC"and "Promote Equal Rights."
William Peoples, a representative for the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, stopped to talk to the protesters.
"Well, no one contacted us about this, and
I wish they would've filed a complaint to (the NAACP)first,"Peoples said. "I think we could've helped them resolve this a lot better, instead of having them take it
to the s
treets l
ike this."
Peoples said he plans to talk to Gaines to get better insight.
"If she decides to file a complaint, then it will be discussed by the board,"he said. "Then once that happens, Iwill be the one to
investigate the issue."
And that includes contacting Day Enterprises, Inc.
Karen Ferguson said she worked for KFC for seven years before resigning in last September because of medical reasons. She said she had been promoted to general manager from assistant manager.
"I trained Crystal and Chris (Chawlk) for the manager and general manager positions six months before Iactually resigned," she said. But she said the owners gave the job to a white person who "had only worked there for seven months."
Ferguson, who is Gaines'
mother, said the new general manager had not worked at another KFC.
"He was brought off the street and immediately put right into the manager position,"
Ferguson sai
d.
&q
uot;And he didn't have
the certifications that managers are supposed to have,"Gaines said.
Chris Chawlk, who still works for KFC, said he has done everything from being a cashier to organizing the payroll.
"It's the unfair treatment they've put these workers and myself through that
I'm upset about,"Chawlk said. "They did not (administer) the proper pay raises that I deserved. Yet, when they hired other people, they started them out with higher pay than those waiting on a pay raise."
Chawlk said he has three children, two 6-year-olds and one 2-year-old. He isn't too sure he'll have a job Monday.
"Yeah, I may be out of a job, but I'm not scared. If I was, I wouldn't be out here today," Chawlk said Sunday, holding up a &q
uot;Don't Eat KFC" sign.
"Bottom line, we just want fairness for the employees,"Ferguson said. "And regardless of race, age
or gender, it is
n't right to
overlook workers who have poured
their hearts out for five to seven years."
The picketers said they will continue their protests in front of the KFC every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. through February.
***********
Who would have thunk it! What next, a boycott on watermelon?
T.N.B.
KFC target of discrimination protest
A group of current and former employees picketed the Kentucky Fried Chicken on East Innes Street about four hours Sunday afternoon.
The protesters, who first picketed on Saturday, said they were fighting for equal treatment of employees, pay raises and more blacks in management.
"Iworked as a third assistant manager, but I was in training for the manager and assistant manager positions for eight months,"said Crystal Gaines, who said she worked at that KFC for seven years. "When Ididn't get it, Idecided to l
ave because I was treated unfairly."
Gaines, who organized the protest, left KFC in December 2003, but said while there, she was already doing the duties a manager and assistant manager would do
.
"It's not like I didn't know what Iwas doing because I had
trained other people who came there after me,"she said.
Gaines said she has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
"The part that is hard for us to understand is that some of the employees have been overlooked for management positions,"Gaines said. "Not because we are not qualified for the job ... but for various reasons that are being investigated by the EEOC."
Day Enterprises Inc. owns the KFC franchise at 628 E. Innes St. An official with the company could not be reached for comment, but the Innes Street branch released a written statement.
"Day Enterprises has always demonstrated their faith in their employees by contin
ually promoting from within the company," the release stated. "The company's mission statement is to create rewards for every associate, the community and the company by providing
lege
ndar
y service to
the customers."
The statement says Day Enterprises is an equal opportunity employer and that its "2003 Employer Inf
ormation Report shows that 48.98 percent of the company employees were white, with 41.02 percent black. The other company employees are Hispanic, 6.47 percent, Asian, 3.23 percent and American Indian, .26 percent."
More than 10 current and former workers fought the cold air along KFC's parking lot Sunday, several holding signs reading "Promote blacks,""Don't Eat KFC"and "Promote Equal Rights."
William Peoples, a representative for the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, stopped to talk to the protesters.
"Well, no one contacted us about this, and
I wish they would've filed a complaint to (the NAACP)first,"Peoples said. "I think we could've helped them resolve this a lot better, instead of having them take it
to the s
treets l
ike this."
Peoples said he plans to talk to Gaines to get better insight.
"If she decides to file a complaint, then it will be discussed by the board,"he said. "Then once that happens, Iwill be the one to
investigate the issue."
And that includes contacting Day Enterprises, Inc.
Karen Ferguson said she worked for KFC for seven years before resigning in last September because of medical reasons. She said she had been promoted to general manager from assistant manager.
"I trained Crystal and Chris (Chawlk) for the manager and general manager positions six months before Iactually resigned," she said. But she said the owners gave the job to a white person who "had only worked there for seven months."
Ferguson, who is Gaines'
mother, said the new general manager had not worked at another KFC.
"He was brought off the street and immediately put right into the manager position,"
Ferguson sai
d.
&q
uot;And he didn't have
the certifications that managers are supposed to have,"Gaines said.
Chris Chawlk, who still works for KFC, said he has done everything from being a cashier to organizing the payroll.
"It's the unfair treatment they've put these workers and myself through that
I'm upset about,"Chawlk said. "They did not (administer) the proper pay raises that I deserved. Yet, when they hired other people, they started them out with higher pay than those waiting on a pay raise."
Chawlk said he has three children, two 6-year-olds and one 2-year-old. He isn't too sure he'll have a job Monday.
"Yeah, I may be out of a job, but I'm not scared. If I was, I wouldn't be out here today," Chawlk said Sunday, holding up a &q
uot;Don't Eat KFC" sign.
"Bottom line, we just want fairness for the employees,"Ferguson said. "And regardless of race, age
or gender, it is
n't right to
overlook workers who have poured
their hearts out for five to seven years."
The picketers said they will continue their protests in front of the KFC every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. through February.
***********
Who would have thunk it! What next, a boycott on watermelon?
T.N.B.