MEDIA ADVISORY For Thurs., Sept. 8, 2011 & Mon., Sept. 12, 2011 CONTACT: Fekkak Mamdouh, fmamdouh@aol.

com, (917) 378-2651 (NY) Sekou Siby, siby@rocny.org, (917) 538-1227 (NY) Minsu Longiaru, minsu@rocunited.org, (734) 355-1164 (MI)

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WINDOWS ON THE WORLD SURVIVORS HONOR LOST PEERS BY BUILDING RESTAURANT WORKER MOVEMENT
Former Windows on the World workers organization commemorates ten year anniversary of 9/11 at COLORS Restaurant & Training Facility in New York City and new launch in Detroit, Michigan.
WHO: WHAT: Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United), Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) & Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan (ROC-MI) - 10 Year Anniversary Benefit in New York City for ROC-United and ROC-NY - Opening Gala in Detroit, MI for COLORS-Detroit Restaurant and Training Center The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) with the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY) and the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan (ROC-MI) mark the tenth anniversary of September 11th with two events. In New York City, ROC-United and ROC-NY will hold an anniversary benefit at COLORSNYC Restaurant, a worker-owned restaurant and training facility opened by restaurant workers displaced by the September 11th attacks. Honorees at the benefit will be former Windows on the World workers; Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA; and Hector Cordero-Guzman, Professor at Baruch College City University of New York. ROC-Michigan (ROC-MI) will hold a gala to celebrate the opening of COLORS-Detroit, a restaurant modeled after COLORS-NYC that will provide locally-sourced, affordable healthy diverse cuisine, train hundreds of Detroiters, and incubate worker-owned food businesses. WHEN/ WHERE: ROC-United & ROC-NY 10th Year Benefit Thursday, Sept. 8th, 6-9PM COLORS-NYC Restaurant 417 Lafayette Street (Astor Place), NY, NY 10003 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for COLORS-Detroit Restaurant, reception to follow Monday, Sept. 12th, 5:30-6PM COLORS-Detroit Restaurant 311 E. Grand River (Virgil Carr Building), Detroit, MI 48226

WHY:

On September 11th, 2001, 73 workers from Windows on the World, the restaurant on the 107th story of the World Trade Center, lost their lives. Several survivors came together to start ROC-NY, a New York City organization whose mission is improving working conditions in the restaurant industry. In 2008, the same group of workers founded ROCUnited, a national restaurant worker organization that supports restaurant workers in other cities starting ROCs of their own. Today there are seven additional ROC affiliates in Michigan, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. With eight ROC locations and a combined membership of close to 8000 restaurant workers, ROC is the largest restaurant worker organization in the country. ROCs accomplishments include: Winning ten workplace justice campaigns; Winning more than $5 million in damages and significant policy changes in finedining restaurant businesses; Partnering with 50 high road employer partners around the country to promote the high road to profitability in the industry; Publishing 15 reports on the restaurant industry, based on more than 5000 surveys of restaurant workers; Working with other organizations to win an increase to the New York state tipped minimum wage; and Training 2500 workers in advance restaurant skills to help them obtain living wage jobs.

This September 11th, ROC remembers and honors the lost Windows on the World workers by paying tribute to the restaurant worker movement that was born from the tragedy. In New York City, ROC-NY and ROC-United will host a 10-year anniversary benefit at COLORS-NYC, a collectively owned restaurant opened by former Windows on the World Workers and home to the ROC-NY training institute. A few days later, a celebration of the growth of the restaurant worker movement will continue in Detroit, Michigan at the opening gala of COLORS-Detroit restaurant. COLORS-Detroit restaurant, an initiative of ROC-Michigan, will be a locally-sourced restaurant that provides job training for living wage jobs, and business incubation for collectively owned food enterprises.

ABOUT RESTAURANT OPPORTUNITIES CENTERS UNITED: Founded after September 11 , 2001 by restaurant workers displaced from the World Trade Center, the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC-United) seeks to improve wages and working conditions for the nations low-wage restaurant workforce. ROC-United is the only national restaurant workers organization in the United States. Despite having more than 10 million restaurant workers and an economic impact of $1.7 annually, the restaurant industry is less than 1% unionized nationwide. Until ROC-Uniteds growth and development, the lack of organization left millions of restaurant workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation around the country. Through participatory research and policy work, employer engagement, workplace justice campaigns, membership and leadership development, and more, ROC-United has become a powerful national vehicle for restaurant workers to lift their collective voice on issues affecting all low-wage workers, including the minimum wage, paid sick days, compliance with basic employment standards, and lack of health care. For more information about ROC-United, please visit www.rocunited.org.
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