 After suffering
for weeks with an ear infection without a day off, Rom finally
collapses in Quark's bar and is taken to the Infirmary. Bashir
is outraged that Quark refuses to give any employees sick leave
and casually suggests that Rom form a union. When Rom returns to
work, Quark announces that he is cutting the salaries of his
employees to compensate for declining profits. Angered at this
mistreatment and inspired by Bashir's words, Rom calls a secret
meeting of Quark's waiters and Dabo girls and announces that he
wants to start a union.
While some of the Ferengi
employees are initially fearful about angering the Ferengi
Commerce Authority, Rom says that they have little to lose, and
the union is formed. He makes up a list of demands — increased
pay, shorter hours, paid sick leave — and presents them to
Quark, who simply laughs them off. But Rom has the last laugh
when he tells his brother that the new union is now on strike.
Rom pays customers to stay out of Quark's — a tactic that seems
to be paying off, because the bar is practically deserted. On
Sisko's orders, Odo refuses to disperse the strikers — even when
Worf, O'Brien and Bashir wind up in a brawl. However, Sisko does
threaten to collect Quark's back rent if he doesn't settle, so
Quark offers Rom a bribe to stop the strike. Rom refuses — but
Quark's problems may be solved anyway. Liquidator Brunt from the
FCA has arrived, and promises Quark he will put a stop to the
strike by any means necessary.
Brunt crashes a union meeting and threatens the Ferengi workers
if they don't return to Quark's. However, Rom inspires his
troops once again, and they rededicate themselves to the strike.
Later Quark tries to talk Rom into giving up, worried about what
the FCA will do to his brother, but Rom holds firm. Things only
get worse when Brunt has his Nausicaan thugs beat up Quark as an
example.
In the Infirmary, a wounded Quark offers to secretly honor the
demands of the strikers as long as Rom disbands the union and
pretends that Quark has won, to which Rom agrees. Once everyone
returns to work at their new, higher salaries, Rom announces
that he has quit to work for the station as a repair technician
— having proven to himself that he can really survive on his
own, without Quark's "help."
See
Also: Image Captures |
