food service

celia

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I started a new job at Jimmy John’s. It was going alright, but as it often happens I noticed some things that I wasnt sure were strange or not. The manager of the store was very nice, but sort of slow, and turns out he couldn’t read well. I always worked alone with an older man who trained me, and he would make the manager laugh. It seemed that he was the manager instead of him. I was almost always completely alone with him. He started to call me “baby.” I could feel him staring at my ass when I bent down, and was afraid to do so. There was a backdoor to where I would take smoke breaks. One time I went back, and his truck was parked with the car door trapped right next to the door to the smoke area. He was sitting in his car, his body every close to the door I had just opened. He invites me in, and talked about taking a ride sometime. He pointed to me where he kept the booze. I quit after a week, and told the manager over the phone, and he was surprised and very sorry. I started to realize that my trainer most likely had complete control over the store, as the manager was slow and wouldnt be able to read the employee conduct guidelines. He could tell him anything he wanted. The next week when I picked up my last check, terrified, I noticed that there was a new young, pretty teenage girl being taught by him-alone. The cycle continues. If I hadn’t already been sexually harassed at the two other jobs that I’d had previously, I wouldnt have been as quick to quit. Self doubt and fear kept me at the other jobs, and the harrassment had continued to get worse. I dont know what would have happened if it had been my first experience.

celia

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I worked at a cafe where most of us were pretty teen girls. There was an older cook in the back who I thought was pretty cool. One day he was obviously drunk, and all of the servers knew, but no one did anything about it. I think my manager was just desperate. I went in the back to dump out the mop water and he followed me, making sexual comments. When I bent over to poor it out, he took out his phone and took a picture of me bending over. I was in shock, I dont even remember if I asked him to delete that. The work environment was to program us into never making a scene, always smiling, doing anything to make the customer happy, and pretending that everything was pleasant. From prior experience, like almost being blinded by chemicals (breaking OSHA regulations for eye wear) and having to go through extensive eye tissue treatments from corrosion,I am certain my female boss would not have done anything, and would pretend nothing had happened. Other girls have told me of similar harassment from him, and one of them told and nothing was done about it.

Dulce

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Why is it that men think they can touch women? I was being told a story and right at the story’s high point a much older man reaches over and grabs my waist, as if I was so distracted I wouldn’t notice a stranger’s hands. I’ve seen my father touch other girls shoulders and fix their collars, even though I’ve told him to stop. Being in lower positions of power ensures that women can’t always speak up about these micro-harassments and men know this.

Mari

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I’m a waitress part-time and I’m nervous about going to work tonight because last week I was standing around (it was slow and we had 0 tables) talking with fellow servers (they all happened to be male) when recent gun violence and mass shottings came up in conversation. Amidst the Jew jokes I tried hard to overlook, the boys were commenting that kids with strict parents grow up and ‘go crazy’ and are probably the most likely mass shooters. I told them that i was raised conservative and consequentially had one year of ‘being crazy’ but didn’t kill anyone. I pointed out, ‘but then again, I’m not a man, so.’ They seemed shocked by the news that the majority of mass shooters are men and that men are more likely to be violent and/or madd shooters. They turned to the one black guy to clarify, ‘is that true?’ Because you know, if someone with a vagina says something political, you def need to clarify with a man to see if its true. Women, ya know. The black guy laughed mervously and confirmed the facts. The boys then changed the subject to gossip about all the whores and sluts they knew. It was gross and offensive, and I couldn’t help but feel like it was retaliation for making them uncomfortable.