Waffle House worker reveals HORRIFYING realities of her $16-an-hour job

A Waffle House employee has revealed she has been through two robberies and has had guns shoved in her face for the past 24 years she has been with the company – all while being paid just $16 an hour. 

Waffle House employees in South Carolina went on strike Saturday morning to protest dangerous working conditions and low wages. 

Servers and cooks of the popular 24-hour breakfast chain called for better security, higher pay, and an end to the mandatory ‘meal deductions’ from paychecks.

At the strike, one unnamed 47-year-old employee revealed she had spent over two decades at the fast food restaurant, having dealt with her fair share of unsafe situations, and been paid just double the minimum wage, despite giving her ‘blood, sweat, and tears,’ for the company. 

A Waffle House employee has shared she has been through two robberies and has had guns shoved in her face for the past 24 years – all while being paid just $16 an hour

Waffle House employees in South Carolina went on strike Saturday morning to protest dangerous working conditions and low wages (stock image)

Servers and cooks of the popular 24-hour breakfast chain called for better security, higher pay, and an end to the mandatory ‘meal deductions’ from paychecks

The protest is being supported by the Union of Southern Service Workers, which represents employees in various industries. 

In a video shared on the USSW’s TikTok account, the anonymous worker detailed her frustrations with the breakfast chain. 

‘I’ve been with the company for 24 years. In this time, I’m only making $16 an hour, ‘ she said at the beginning of the viral video, which garnered over 1.1 million views. 

Then, the fast food employee detailed the dangerous conditions she has been working with for the past two decades. 

She added: ‘I’ve been through two robberies, and I’ve had guns in my face in 24 years.’ 

The worker noted that she thinks Waffle House could ‘do better than $16 an hour.’ 

‘I’m almost 47 with a herniated disc in my back. [Do] you think they’re going to get me any mat or anything good to stand on back there on the concrete floor while they work me 17-hour shifts back-to-back? No. 

‘I think Waffle House incorporated could do me better than that. I’ve given my blood, sweat, and tears for this company in the years. 

At the strike, one unnamed 47-year-old employee revealed she had spent over two decades at the fast food restaurant, having dealt with her fair share of unsafe situations

In a video shared on the USSW’s TikTok account, the anonymous worker detailed her frustrations with the breakfast chain

‘They could do a little bit better than what they’ve done. After 24 years that’s why I’m out here striking today,’ she said at the end of the clip. 

DailyMail.com has contacted Waffle House for comment.  

The minimum wage in South Carolina is $7.25 – and according to Indeed, the average pay for a Waffle House employee is $7.25 to $31.40. 

The cost of living in South Carolina is five per cent less than the national average, however, according to the Economic Policy Institute, if you are single, you need to earn $14.72 an hour to make a livable wage. 

Another employee, Marshawna Parker, who spoke to The State, revealed she has also been at the breakfast hot spot for over 20 years and noted that she had witnessed several shootings during her time there. 

She noted that Waffle House only employs security guards on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, however, they should have guards at all times. 

‘They could do a little bit better than what they’ve done. After 24 years that’s why I’m out here striking today,’ she said at the end of the clip

She told the outlet: ‘We could have been easily shot over an order of hash browns that’s $3. 

‘There’s no excuse for them not to have security at all time to protect us… We are not just bodies in the building: We have lives, people have kids.’ 

Workers have begged for an end to the mandatory ‘meal deduction’ policy, which sees $3 to $6 taken out of employees’ paychecks to cover a meal during their shift – regardless of whether they eat it or not. 

Summer Schoolmeester-Cochran, a Waffle House server, wrote in a statement published by USSW: ‘I’m usually the only server working second shift, so I am running around and don’t have time to eat a meal, but Waffle House still makes me pay for it…. let us opt out.’ 

According to a statement from USSW, the strike came after employees handed a petition to management. The union has said that there has been no response to the workers’ requests.