HR0674 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0674 LRB096 15049 GRL 30031 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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