Members of the Guild
TheGuild of Restaurant and Casino Employees was the name of alabor union consisting of the staff ofQuark's, led byRom in2372.
The organization came about during a ritualized period of cleansing observed byDeep Space 9's entireBajoran crew. Since this involved a period of isolation from regular life, business was seriously reduced with the absence of most of the Bajorans.
Quark decided to implement cost-cutting measures, including a one-third pay cut for the entire staff. To everyone's disgust, Quark did not even give any assurances that he would reverse the pay cuts when business picked up. Upon hearing about the situation,Dr.Julian Bashir andMiles O'Brien suggested to Rom that he should form a union in response but also cautioned that violence was not unknown in labor disputes (see alsoSean Aloysius O'Brien).
Nevertheless, Rom decided to proceed with the idea, and convinced the rest of the staff (including theFerengi waiters,Broik,Grimp, andFrool) to form the Guild of Restaurant and Casino Employees, even though such unions were outlawed in his species' society. They confronted Quark with their demands, and when he flatly refused, Rom immediately called for astrike – much to Quark's shock and the members agreement.
The strike lasted for days, withCaptainBenjamin Sisko refusing Quark's request to intervene. In response, Quark unsuccessfully attemptedholographic substitutes for the staff, while Bashir and O'Brien quietly supported the strike by trying to convince patrons to avoid the bar during the labor action, which – according toLeeta – a growing number of the population onboard Deep Space 9 supported. Meanwhile, Odo was instructed to refrain from "impinging" on the employees' freedom of expression, provided the strikers remain peaceful and allowed people that still wanted to enter Quark's access through its entrance on the second floor. Quark also attempted to bribe Rom to end the strike, but Rom would not end the strike until Quark agreed to every one of the Guild's demands.
Eventually,Brunt of theFerengi Commerce Authority arrived to break the strike, along with a pair ofNausicaan guards. When his attempt to intimidate the union failed, he had Quark beaten as an example against defiance. In theinfirmary, Rom and Quark debated the situation, with Rom refusing to budge and Quark warning that the FCA was willing to physically attack the union to stop the strike. A compromise was reached, in which Quark secretly agreed to the Association's demands – on the condition that the union be immediately disbanded. The union agreed to the proposal, and business returned to normal. (DS9: "Bar Association")
Several months later, Rom cited his union as an example of defying Ferengi tradition. (DS9: "Body Parts")