Sharon Mui's Blog

Welcome to Denny’s! A place “where smiling employees enjoy flexible hours, benefit programs, competitive wages, a fun-filled atmosphere and opportunities to grow.”

At least 50 Filipino workers disagree with the statement above, which was directly quoted from the Denny’s Canada website. The cheery persona of this family-friendly restaurant was shattered when a $10 million law suit was filed against its owner, Northland Properties Corporation.

This story began with our Filipino foreigners given a promise of a better working environment in the holy grail of multiculturalism, Canada. Unfortunately, the (North) American dream quickly turned into a nightmare when the migrant workers were required to pay $6000 each to the agency responsible for recruiting Denny’s employees. Allegedly, the 50 cooks and servers did not receive the “hours of work, overtime pay and travel expenses” offered by the Temporary Foreign Workers program (TFW). Finally, Herminia Vergara Dominguez stepped forward to work with Migrante B.C. to take a stand for these migrant workers and their legal rights.

Denny’s wishes to be “the best family restaurant chain in the world”; to do so, this franchise needs to end the exploitation of their stakeholders, specifically vulnerable migrant employees. Employment contracts must be followed through. Now, “was this situation a breach of business ethics” – undoubtedly so.

Information provided by:

The Georgia Straight                                                                                                               and                                                                                                                                 UFCW Canada