— Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a major advance for fast food workers on Thursday: under threat of lawsuit from his office, seven major fast food chains agreed to eliminate “no poaching” provisions from their franchise agreements. These “no poaching” agreements between franchisees barred workers at one chain location from working at another location of the same chain.
Working Washington member Merlee Sherman, who works as a fast food courier for Jimmy John’s, was there to support this important step.
Here’s what Merlee had to say to the assembled media:
“I’m a driver and a manager in training at Jimmy John’s, and what these #nopoaching clauses actually look like is suppressed pay and limited mobility for people within the company.
There has not been mobility for me to receive better pay at another Jimmy John’s based on my experience. There have not been options for me to go to another store and receive a better wage. All of those have been limited within the company itself.
Today’s settlement is a giant step for those of us who want to use our skills. Food education in general is my niche, it’s my passion, it’s my career. I want to share my skills with those coming into the food industry and I can’t do that if I can’t put food on the table.”
Workers who fight to raise their pay or hold their employers accountable are often told to “get a better job.” There are a million reasons that’s a ridiculous thing to say. But these “no-poaching” clauses show that employers sometimes actually go out of their way to make it harder for a worker to get a better job — even in their own companies. They don’t reward skill or dedication. Instead, they make it harder for workers to improve their circumstances. They stand in the way of opportunity.
And now that’s coming to an end.
When workers come together in organizations like Working Washington, we have power. People listen. The Attorney General takes notice of issues that affect us. Things change.
Be a Seed for Change 
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