Dangerous Dining: Health and Safety in the New York City Restaurant Industry

Policy Summary

This study explores the health and safety hazards for restaurant workers in New York City and provides concrete policy recommendations to improve these conditions. These include: 1. Initiate and support local and/or state legislation that would provide greater access to health insurance for low-wage workers, and require employers to provide paid sick days. 2. Provide education for employers, consumers, and workers to encourage employers reorganize their workplaces and provide benefits. 3. Provide all workers with greater access to better jobs through promotions, policies, and antidiscrimination monitoring, because it is clear that higher-level positions provide greater access to benefits and that immigrants and people of color have little access to these jobs. 4. Publicize model employer practices to provide much-needed guidance to other employers. 5. Support collective organizing among restaurant workers to improve working conditions for all workers in the industry, including better wages and access to health care insurance and other benefits.

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