Pie Hole Workers Call for Solidarity: Review Blast and Strike Fund

Call for solidarity with workers on strike in Boise, Idaho at the pizza chain, Pie Hole.

Workers at Pie Hole, a pizza chain based in Boise, Idaho, have been on strike since July 3rd, after being fired for organizing for a living wage and input into safety measures at their shop. As local media reports, the owners responded to the courage of Pie Hole workers—who stood up to bosses in the midst of record unemployment—by trying to force them to train scabs to replace them, and then firing them when they refused.

In response, the workers have picketed their storefront during peak hours for three weeks straight. They’ve received a tremendous outpouring of support from labor unions, activist groups, and the general public—a welcome sign given that this may be the first such strike in Boise in decades. But the bosses continue to refuse to negotiate with the workers, falsely believing that the rest of the movement will leave them hanging in their hour of need.

Here, one worker describes the situation so far and what they need from us to succeed in their struggle:

Review Blast

The Pie Hole owners are currently surviving almost entirely on their delivery business, largely through third party apps. Potential customers often base their ordering decisions on online ratings. One study found that a one-star decrease in a restaurant’s Yelp rating can lower a restaurant’s revenue by 5-9%. This is equal to the entire profit margin of most successful food service businesses. To keep it simple: Tanking someone’s Yelp rating is a big deal.

Pie Hole workers are asking us to help them bring the bosses to the table by bringing their ratings down on Yelp and Google. Each platform has algorithms to help filter out reviews, but there are some simple ways to get around them:

Show your solidarity with Pie Hole workers by letting the bosses know what you think about their mistreatment of our fellow workers!

Strike Fund

While many workers are still holding up alright in spite of losing their jobs, some have been having difficulty paying their bills and making rent as they haven’t been able to secure unemployment benefits. If you have any to spare, please consider chipping a few dollars toward helping our comrades stay in their homes and stay in this fight for the long haul. The link to the strike fund is here: https://donorbox.org/worker-solidarity

Our solidarity is critical, now more than ever. Bosses believe that they can use the pandemic to turn workers against each other and keep us begging for crumbs. We need to make an example out of the Pie Hole owners and show capitalists everywhere that screwing over workers, no matter where they’re located, is a losing proposition. Thank you in advance for your support. All power to the people!