Day 150 - 07 Jul 95 - Page 46


     
     1        another area, who did not have any axe to grind or any
     2        feelings that they could not hear it in a full and frank
     3        discussion.
     4
     5   Q.   But, in your experience, do rap sessions achieve that
     6        purpose?
     7        A.  They do.
     8
     9   Q.   Can you just take me through an average rap session -- very
    10        briefly -- in your experience, not the theory but how they
    11        actually work in practice in situations where you have been
    12        attending one?
    13        A.  First and foremost, it is a matter of putting people at
    14        their ease because I think there may well be about 10 or so
    15        people at the rap session.  So, I would generally just
    16        break the ice a little bit and just try to relax everybody
    17        so they did not feel that I was there trying to find out
    18        what was really bad about the restaurant.
    19
    20        We would work our way through the list of the building, the
    21        maintenance, the hours, the schedule and just making sure
    22        that those were the opinions of the restaurant itself, of
    23        all the people working in the restaurant.  So, if someone
    24        had a particularly negative thing to say, then it was part
    25        of my responsibility almost more than anything else just to
    26        make sure that it was not something that was personal to
    27        them, whether or not it was endemic in the restaurant.
    28
    29   Q.   Were people forced to go to these rap sessions?
    30        A.  No.
    31
    32   Q.   I mean, you say 10 or so people?
    33        A.  I have done rap sessions with maybe three or four
    34        people there.  Depending on how big the restaurant is, and
    35        most managers would schedule their rap sessions for maybe 5
    36        or 6 o'clock to try to get some of the part-timers along if
    37        they were available.
    38
    39   Q.   Were people paid for going along to these, in your
    40        experience?
    41        A.  They were.  All I would do then is I would send a piece
    42        of paper around, they could put their name on it, and then
    43        hand it into the Manager -- because again in those days it
    44        was a manual clock card system -- and give them the list to
    45        make sure everybody did get paid.  In fact, I would tell
    46        them right at the beginning as well.
    47
    48   Q.   First of all, who picked people to go along?  Were they
    49        self-selected or was it a management decision?
    50        A.  What generally would happen is that a notice would go 
    51        up on the crew notice board saying that:  "Frank Stanton is 
    52        coming to our restaurant on July 7th at 4 o'clock p.m. to 
    53        do a rap session.  This is the opportunity to give your
    54        views" etc. etc.
    55
    56        Then, generally, I think most restaurants would put a list
    57        up or maybe speak to the Manager.  The only way that they
    58        would be selected, so to speak, is if, for example, that
    59        person was working a shift at the time of the rap session
    60        and then it is my experience that the Manager would try to

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