HR0674

LRB096 15049 GRL 30031 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Accommodations and food services accounted for 
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450,400 jobs in Illinois in 2007, according to the Illinois 
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Department of Employment Security, Current Employment 
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Statistics; food service workers range from chefs in fine 
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restaurants to short-order cooks, waiters, and cafeteria 
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workers; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Food service workers are younger than the average 
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employee, with 37 percent below the age of 24; one-third of 
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these workers are employed part time; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Food service workers often work in small, cramped 
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kitchens with hot stoves and ovens; the workers are under 
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pressure to produce and serve food quickly while maintaining 
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quality standards; work conditions for these workers are tough, 
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requiring employees to stand for hours at a time, with slips, 
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falls, cuts, and burns as common job hazards; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In 2006, about 29 percent of cooks and 44 percent 
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of food preparation workers had part-time schedules, compared 
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to 15 percent of workers throughout the economy; work hours in 
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restaurants may include early mornings, late evenings, 
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holidays, and weekends, while the work schedules of chefs, 
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cooks, and other kitchen workers in factory and school 
 


 






HR0674
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LRB096 15049 GRL 30031 r




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cafeterias may be more regular; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Food service worker positions teach valuable 
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skills, including communication skills; the workers also learn 
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to work quickly, efficiently, and how to deal with pressure 
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situations; in addition, workers learn proper customer service 
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techniques, including how to deal with upset customers; all of 
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these skills prove invaluable to workers that move on to future 
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careers in the public or private sectors; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Food service workers provide a vital service to 
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the State of Illinois, both through their positions in the 
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restaurants and cafeterias of this State and their role in the 
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overall economic welfare of Illinois; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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designate the second Tuesday in October of 2009 and 2010 as 
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Food Service Workers Day in the State of Illinois in honor of 
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these workers and their immense contributions to this State.