FERNDALE, Mich. (WXYZ) — After Bobcat Bonnie’s employees in metro Detroit took their frustrations to the picket line this week, an agreement has been reached, owner Matt Buskard and Bobcats United announced Friday.
Workers at the Ypsilanti and Ferndale locations picketed Thursday in hopes of making their voices heard.
Watch our coverage of the picket in Ypsilanti in the video below:
In Ypsilanti, employees said there were many issues including inconsistent scheduling, disrespect from management and bounced checks.
“Someone even told me it takes like 24 days to get their paycheck, which is unacceptable,” a former employee on the picket line told us on Thursday.
Employees said when they brought their concerns to the Bobcat Bonnie’s corporate team, they were notified that the restaurant was closing.
Workers in Ferndale also joined the picket line.
An agreement on severance pay was reached on Friday, Bobcats United said. Bobcats United encouraged Ferndale employees to return to stop picketing after the deal was reached.
Buskard released the following statement:
“Now that the picketing has concluded at the Bobcat Bonnie’s Ferndale location and we have an agreement, I want to thank the Bobcat United group for keeping things civil and professional while we negotiated a severance package for the impacted Ypsilanti workers. Going forward, the management team and I are dedicated to listening to all of our employees as we work together to create a fun and inviting dining experience for our guests. I am looking forward to implementing quite a few changes across the board at Bobcat Bonnie’s restaurants effective immediately. Your feedback will be very important to me. Please come have a meal soon at Bobcat Bonnie’s in Corktown, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Wyandotte and Lansing so that you can meet our team where they are happiest -- on the job and making money.”
Bobcat United released the following statement:
“On October 18th, Bobcats United reached an agreement for severance with Matt Buskard of Bobcat Bonnie’s. We feel Matt has done his part to make things right with the Ypsilanti staff, but we encourage him to continue working towards solutions to the grievances raised in the petition delivered October 7th.
This is a huge win for food service workers everywhere. It’s incredibly rare for a small chain to close and offer severance to their employees. Often we feel powerless as individuals, but we hope this victory inspires our fellow foodservice workers, no matter their position or location. We encourage our fellow bobcats to reach out to us for any help they may need in organizing their stores as well.
We are calling a stop to the emergency picket at the Ferndale location effective immediately. We encourage you to continue visiting the other locations, tell your staff you support them, and as always, tip fat!!
In Solidarity
Bobcats United
