‘Some people don’t care’: Gee, Ursula debate whether labor violation signs will actually change where people eat

King County restaurants that have cheated workers out of pay and refused to comply after a court order could soon be required to post a warning placard on their front door, similar to a food safety rating.

The King County Board of Health approved the rule, which targets businesses with unresolved labor violations including withheld wages, forced unpaid overtime, and denied sick leave. The health department said labor practices can affect food safety, since workers who can’t take handwashing breaks, get enough rest, or stay home when sick can pose a risk to customers.

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, believe the policy is long overdue.

“Make this permanent!” Gee said. “Don’t nobody care nothing about the taste of a cheeseburger if you’re not treating John in the back cooking the right way, if you’re cheating employees out of their pay.”

Gee stressed the placards would only go up after a business has already lost in court and still refused to comply.

“This isn’t like accusations,” Gee said. “This is after it has already gone to court, and said, ‘Hey, you need to pay your employees, you need to rectify this,’ and these businesses are saying, ‘We don’t care what the courts say.’ Post them. Put a list so I can do a story on them every single day.”

The county estimated that roughly 10 to 20 of King County’s 13,000-plus food businesses would be affected.

Ursula said the policy fills a gap in how businesses are held accountable for how they treat workers.

“We often talk about these so-called white-collar crimes when businesses choose to not do right by their employees,” Ursula said. “How do they get away with it? Well, I guess you won’t.”

Gee says people who ignore food safety signs may not ignore this one

Ursula asked whether customers would still walk into a restaurant with a labor violation placard on the door, noting that some diners already shrug off low food safety ratings.

“I’ve been to a restaurant where it just says ‘Okay,’ which means they’re basically doing the minimum required,” Ursula said. “Have you ever been to a restaurant where it says ‘needs to improve’ and thought, ‘Maybe I don’t want to go in?’ Because I have.”

Gee said the food safety rating never bothered him, but a labor violation sign would.

“The food safety, how clean they are, I’m cool, I’m whatever about that,” Gee said. “How you treat the people? Oh no, we ain’t playing that.”

He acknowledged not everyone shares that view.

“Here’s what I’ve learned recently: some people don’t care how others are treated,” Gee said.

Ursula noted that Bellevue already has similar placards in place and Edmonds is moving toward them.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.