NLRB upholds fired Applebee’s worker's right to organize

The National Labor Relations Board has found that an Applebee’s worker in the Bronx was fired in retaliation for organizing his coworkers against alleged discriminatory pay practices.

In the spring of 2023, Justin Onwenu, who worked as a server at an Applebee’s in the South Bronx while studying at Columbia Law School, filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that he and his colleagues, who are predominantly Black, were being paid $10 an hour, while the mostly white staff working at Applebee’s Midtown Manhattan locations were paid $15 an hour.