Overview
- More than 50 House and Senate Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, signed Unite Here Local 25’s pledge to avoid six high-profile Washington restaurants.
- The boycott covers Le Diplomate, Osteria Mozza, The Occidental, Rasika, Modena and Bombay Club, owned by restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Ashok Bajaj.
- Unite Here Local 25 represents roughly 7,000 hospitality workers in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and says the restaurants have engaged in months of union-busting.
- STARR Restaurants and Knightsbridge Restaurant Group deny the allegations and argue that the boycott risks reducing employee hours, tips and overall pay.
- Some servers and staffers at the targeted venues have held counter-protests, accusing the union of using heavy-handed tactics without elections scheduled.