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Split RailBy SUZANNE HARPER Staff WriterSixteen staff members who were running the Split Rail Inn were arrested Thursday after a three-week dispute over the way the country-western night spot should be runBobby Nelson, owner of the Rail, called the police and the staff members were arrested, issued citations for criminal trespassing and released A statement issued by the Split Rail staff said. The Split Rail was reopened in May with a clear agreement among the coordinating committee and the entire staff that it was to be operated as a democratically organized workers cooperative “AT EACH STEP in collectively putting the Rail together we all operated openly on that premise, and it was to a iarge extent because of it that most of us decided to become involved However, Nelson said the restaurant did not start out as a collective ‘ Some of those goals would have been collective goals, but it was not that way at the beginning.” Nelson said.“Within the first 10 days, peopleemployeswere trying to argue that we already were a collective, which was absurd,” she said MARTIN WIGLNTON, a worker who helped Nelson start the Split Rail, said. We didn't make it clear between the reality of what we had and the vision of what we were working toward The staff also understood the decision-making would be the result of initiative by the coordinating committee and “participatory consensus decision-making at staffmeetings Nelson said, “It was very clear that the coordinating committee was going to make decisions and even have veto power over the staffAS THE DISCONTENT grew. Nelson offered two alternatives Wiginton would become manager of the Rail, with final authority on all subjects except ones delegated to a steering committee, or Nelson and Wiginton would leave the Rail and turn it over to committee member Mary Ann Ravev, subject to ap proval of the general community (of the Rail), payment of the notes held on the Rail and the assumption of all legal responsibilities and debts “The response to that (the alternatives) was that Saturday they an-arrestednouneed that they had taken over.Nelson said THE STAFF W ANTED to run theRail to show that workers can collectively run a business without capitalist management, said John “T C Hill, a friend of several staffmembersTwo days ago, after her offers of negotiation failed. Nelson decided that “it had to stop.“Certain obligations had to be met Business had to go on or we would all lose the Rail. she said When she met with the staff Thursday morning she said, I made the decision to fire everyone who had worked here and tell them thev had to be out by 12 “THEY MADE THE decision, she said, to be arrested rather than leaveNelson said although there had been customer complaints about condescending treatment and slow service, she would be willing to talk to some staff members if they wish ed to be rehired Nelson “absolutely denied the books of the Rail had been closed and does not feel she broke an agreement with the staff “My agreement was to see the Rail open up as it had been, she said
Newspaper Details
Austin Daily Texan
Austin, Texas, US
Fri, Jun 17, 1977
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Swarthmore C.
PA, USA 08 May 2024
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