AWB Case Studies
American Pizza Time
AWB Action Saves Members From Calling a Lawyer
Black and White Rule
In Washington, if you work in a restaurant or deliver pizza, the employer can require you to wear black pants and a
white shirt as long as the employer doesn’t prescribe the type of trousers or shirt. It’s called the “Black and White”
rule. When an employee of an America Pizza Time franchise decided to challenge the rule and the Dept. of Labor and
Industries (L&I) denied her appeal, she didn’t like the L&I decision took another route.
Bad Joke….Manager Fired
Even though franchise owner Michael Bernstein’s employee policy manual specifically stated that no harassment nor
inappropriate jokes would be tolerated, the worker who failed on the black and white rule appeal overheard a manager of
a Bernstein delivery operation tell a racially explicit story. When Bernstein heard about the incident, he immediately
fired the manager. “It’s our policy. The manager knew it and that manager is gone!” That wasn’t good enough for the
worker in question. She got an attorney and filed a harassment claim with the state’s Human Rights Commission.
Bernstein Called AWB for Help
“Hey Don, do you know the name of a good attorney?” was the first question AWB President Don Brunell heard when he
took Bernstein’s call. After hearing the rest of Bernstein’s story, Brunell told Bernstein to hold tight and let him
make a few calls. While keeping Bernstein’s indentify confidential, Brunell called the Human Rights Commission and found
there is a process to resolve the dispute without hiring an attorney. AWB then connected Bernstein with the Human Rights
Commission and after mediation, the employee agreed to go back to work, wear black pants and a white shirt and drop the
claim.
AWB Saved Bernstein Thousands in Legal Fees
“Without AWB’s help,” Bernstein said, “I might still be in court and spending thousands of dollars. It was a win-win.
The employee got her job back, dropped her law suit and AWB saved me time and money!”
Without AWB, Members Would Be on Their Own. Just Ask Michael Bernstein How AWB Saved Him Time, Money and the
Hassle of Dealing With the State’s Legal System
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