Saturday, April 20, 2013

Solidarity Fish Fry: The Return To Serb Hall

Six and a half months ago, I asked people to send Serb Hall a message.

The management at Serb Hall was trying to bust the union.  I asked for people to
go there that Friday not to protest, but to show their support for the union workers by having a fish fry.  The catch was that we needed to make sure we were served by a union waitress.

The response was overwhelming.

But despite our efforts, despite being reprimanded by the National Labor Relations Board, and despite common sense, management continued with their myopic and hateful ways.  Just when it looked like things were finally being worked out, management stopped negotiating and declared an impasse.

We decided that if management wasn't going to return to the bargaining table, we weren't returning to their table.

However, this Friday, our second week away, two very disturbing things have come to my attention.

One is that at least another one of the union waitresses was forced out.  Michele, the union waitress that worked the early shift has quit.

When I saw an update from another one of the waitresses, I realized why.  Victoria gave us an update on what's been going on since we've been gone, and it made me green to the gills:
Serb Hall has decided to stop negotiating with our union. Everyone got raises, while the servers didn't. Also, we servers have lost most of our hours. We only work when there are parties larger than 200 people. Kitchen staff and bussers [sic] are going to do our jobs for us instead. The 2 servers at the top of the seniority list, who have worked there for 30 years or more, will lose several shifts a week. How can management live with basically reducing our salary to only Friday fish fry. People have bills that are based on the income they have been making.
As you can see, they are now back to their punitive ways, punishing the union workers for no reason other than they stood up for their rights as workers.

This will not stand without being addressed.

So, next Friday, we will return to Serb Hall.  We return not to eat*, but to educate.

I hope that I can count on each and everyone of you to show up like you have for the past six months.  With our voices joined, they will have no choice but to hear us.

Stay tuned for details.

*After the event, we will go elsewhere to celebrate our solidarity. Any suggestions as to where are welcome, but I do have some ideas.  But we got to get Randy some tartar sauce or who knows what will happen.

18 comments:

  1. "myopic and hateful ways"

    Show them the light of solidarity. Make them suffer and cost them business.

    ReplyDelete
  2. At Michaels, on Wisconsin avenue, if you order a fish fry they take the buns off 2 crappy fish sandwiches and call them dinner!

    Good fish is gettin' hard to find...

    Do you think we could all get a table reservation at Maders?

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  3. PAST UNION EMPLOYEE -April 20, 2013 at 8:47 AM

    WHO ARE THEY GOING TO BLAME WHEN THE UNION BUSINESS AND WAITSTAFF ARE GONE ! THE DOORS WILL BE CLOSED AND NOT BECAUSE OF THE WAGES BUT BAD MANAGEMENT !!!!!!!
    SAD TO SEE!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. TAKE YOUR BUSINESS DOWN THE ROAD TO MEYERS, CLIFFORDS , PACKING HOUSE, GREAT FISH AND
    NICE PRICES !!!!! TELL THEM SERB HALL SENT YOU!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You guys are all missing the fishing boat! Klemmer's (104th & Oklahoma)is the place to have a delicious fish fry! Home made potato pancakes, panfire walleye for $16.95, fried cod $10.95, baked cod $11.95 & other fish choices! As a former union worker at Serb Hall I feel the servers pain! Manager at Klemmers is considering an all you can eat, call for reservations for groups of 7 or more. The host is great, batender & waitress, great customer service & with a smile!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ask them if they employee any union people? Looks like all you care about is the food, price, and how you are treated. I called and NO THEY ARE NOT UNION. What a hypocrite you are. Go to Michaels on Wisconsin Ave. they may be union.

      Delete
  6. how about pan fried walleye, hopefully never panfire walleye!

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  7. Don't forget to bring your cameras and keep the video rolling

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  8. Meyers, Clifford's, Packing House, Klemmer's are they union houses?

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  9. NO THEY ARE NOT UNION, BUT CLOSE TO SERB HALL AND IF YOU GO TO SERB HALL JUST TELL THEM YOU WILL SEND THE BUSINESS ELSEWHERE, TILL ITS RESOLVED!

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  10. WHAT HAPPENED TO SERB HALL , WENT THERE ON GOOD FRIDAY! WHAT A MESS, FOOD HAS CHANGED. THE COD THEY WERE FAMOUS FOR IS GONE AGAIN!
    DIDNT THEY LEARN THE LAST TIME. THE BREAD WAS WET. THE COLESLAW WAS YELLOW. THE FISH WAS NOT HOT , BUT WARM. AND NO WAIT AT THE DOOR , AND THEY BLAME THE STAFF!!!! WHO THE HELL IS RUNNING THE PLACE, THEY SHOULD BE GONE NOT THE UNION! SAD TO SEE!

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  11. MPD Retiree
    You are one stupid SOB. We eat there every Friday and things have consitanley improved, better fish and breading, better rye bread, better service since most of the nasty looking union servers have left. They should have been put out to pasture years ago. Your head must be so far up your rear end you must be deprivred of fresh air.You must have been a horrible cop and just put your time in to receive a cushy pension.
    Keep stuffing your pie hole with pastry as thats the best use you have for it.
    And we only request non-union servers when we go there. They are by far the best.
    Hey we went tonight and business was booming, guess your actions get the results they deserve
    NOTHING!! Keep up the good work Serb Hall we will be loyal customers and pass the word on. Happy to see the business will not fold to these idiots.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You really are an idiot for posting this before I wrote my story on tonight. Serb Hall was dead as a doornail. And I have the pictures to prove it. Fool!

      Delete
  12. if this is what a retiree says to another i feel sorry for the taxpayers in milwaukee for having to pay your wage and retirement . bad cops like you belong in jail with the rest of them! so much for the support PIG . AND THATS ONLY TO YOU!

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  13. The food at Serb Hall SUCKS - especially the new cod that management chose in order to make a few more bucks off of the suckers who go there.
    It used to be a great place to take the family, but, with the new management, it's obvious that making money is their only focus.

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  14. Serb Hall was dead as a doornail tonight. So sorry to see this happen to a place with such potential. Maybe once they get their act together, we'll return.
    Horrible to see a place that was once almost considered a cornerstone in our community turn into such a dump.

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  15. I also heard that Steakhouse 100 should be featured in "Dirty Dining". The place sounds disgusting.
    Rat or mice droppings right under the table'
    YECCCH!

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  16. I was at Serb Hall last Friday (5/17) with my Grandma and her sister for lunch. Let me tell you there we're only FIVE tables in use when we we're there (Noonish.) The fish was so-so but the fries we're bad.

    ReplyDelete