Garners Ferry Road Waffle House employees go on strike for better working conditions and pay

The protestors say they are fighting for secure and safe working conditions. 

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – Workers at the Waffle House on Garners Ferry Road protesting this weekend during the restaurants mid-morning rush on Saturday, July 8. The workers say they are fighting for secure and safe working conditions.

The strike comes one week after workers say they gave a petition of their demands to Waffle House management on July 1st and the petition asked for a response with in a week. Workers tell ABC Columbia that no response has been given as of yet.

According to the protestors, the Waffle House on Garners Ferry Road only employs security guard on the weekends from 2 a.m. until 5 a.m. It is a policy that these workers want to see changed to 24 hours a day. One protestor says a month ago a customer pulled out a gun on her because he wanted hash browns instead of grits.

“We’re worth more than just being a body in the building as we’ve been told. We demand respect, we’re demanding more wages, we’re demanding to opt out of a meal deduction that comes out of our check every week and a lot of times you don’t get to eat. It is our security, our safety, we are not just a body,” says Marshawna Parker, who is an employee participating in the strike.

Protestors say fair pay is another central issue and are demanding the base pay for servers be increased.