On Christmas Eve of as myself and other delivery drivers for the nation's leading pizza chain trudged into work, we were all unaware that we would be getting a royal screwing at the hands of Pizza Hut Inc., a division of the Tricon Corporation one of the largest profit grossing groups in the world.
It was announced on this night of warmth and affection that we would be getting cut back from. 75 for every delivery we take to a mere. 50. To most, this figure may not seem too astonishing, but to us, this meager quarter a delivery lost means roughly $100 a month. That's a lot of money for single mothers, family men and college guys like myself to lose and I wanted answers.
After speaking with my store's general manager, I was told, along with all of the other drivers, that the pay cut was nationwide, in an effort to reduce costs to the corporation. What a farce, I thought! Other pizza chains in our area offer their drivers 1.00, even a 1.50 a delivery, but due to Pizza Hut's plethora of business, we always had it better there... Until now.
After this loss we had drivers quit. For some it was a second job and just a little extra pocket money. For me though, it WAS my job, my only source of income and it provided me with rent, bills, car repairs, tuition and food money. What a nightmare.
Not one to go down without a fight, I sucked it up and went looking for answers.
First, with suspicion that has become second nature at a business such as this, I called store in outerlying areas. Posing as a prospective employee with three years of delivering pizzas under my belt, I inquired as to how much they paid their drivers.in a college town to the south of Kansas City, I found to my horror and asstonishment that they were still paying their drivers. 75.
To the north in St. Joseph, MO, it remained a cool. 75. Well shiver me, timbers, right? Well, it got worse. After speaking to a friend of mine who lives in Portland, OR., who also has the misfortune of working at a Pizza Hut, I was achingly amgry to find that he made 1.00 a delivery. A WHOLE DOLLAR!
Knowing that I had been shammed I did some searching. After sneaking a bit (nothing at Pizza Hut is open to the employees) I came across an email address for my Regional Manager, one Tim Henry. I set up a new email address, due to my extreme paranoia of being fired, and fired off some concerns.
I waited. And waited. And waited.
Eventually, he wrote me back and thanked me for my concern involving Pizza Hut but told me that he couldn't answer my questions because I wasn't a member of Pizza Hut... (pause for laughter). Wasn't a member or employee of Pizza Hut?! Could this buffoon read, I wondered?!
After emailing him back and clearing up the fact that I was indeed an employee of his fine corporation, and giving him some facts to set him straight, he agian thanked me and told me to call an 800, number, telling me that they could help me in my plight.
Meanwhile, back at the store, drivers were dropping like flies, the remaining employees were losing their will, some were selling their plasma to pay rent and one poor driver named Paula was being evicted because she could no longer pay rent. She and her 8 year old daughter were going to have to stay in her truck, HER DELIVERY VEHICLE, until she could get her wits about her and find a new job.
Though I have continued to email Mr. Henry, it has done NO good. He continues to avoid my calls and emails and we drivers sit in the dark, one hundred dollars poorer and on the brink of exploding.
I want to se him face to face someday and ask him how his $500,000 bonus will be this year... What might he spend it on? Might he take a trip? Oh yeah, and when was the last time he had to sell plasma to pay his rent.
Brandon
kansas city, Missouri
U.S.A.
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