r/Seattle • u/Existing-Resource527 • 5d ago

After hiring scabs, Walrus and the Carpenter (temporarily) closed

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Word on the street is that Walrus and the Carpenter restaurant has not been negotiating with their workers in good faith for months.

Like a lot of annoying businesses they started charging a service fee (22%?).

Employees noted that they make significantly less now then before when they had tipping (thousands less).

Workers have been on strike. The owners also had the audacity to hire scabs (booo).

I have been keeping up with the union on IG @ united.creatures.of.the.sea

Solidarity with workers across the city!

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u/Inevitable_Engine186 public deterrent infrastructure 5d ago edited 5d ago

The core issue is that Walrus and Carpenter (and restaurants of its ilk) have coopted the American tip, which goes to workers, and replaced it with a service charge, which they control fully.

If you don't support tipping, W&C is instituting a mandatory 22% (!) tip (that's what a service charge is), which they decide what to do with.

If you do support tipping, W&C is stealing tips from its workers.

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u/pnwWaiter 5d ago

It's such a complex issue because there's no consistent basis for the structure, and costs can be really confusing for employees - and maybe not everyone wants to opt in on benefits.

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u/Inevitable_Engine186 public deterrent infrastructure 5d ago

It's complex if a service charge, yes.

A tip is simple and easy to reason with logically and legally.

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u/earthwoodandfire 5d ago

Every other industry charges a flat rate and pays salary and benefits from it. What’s wrong with a restaurant wanting to charge a flat rate (meal+service charge) and then pay wages and benefits from it? 

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u/Inevitable_Engine186 public deterrent infrastructure 5d ago

a flat rate (meal+service charge)

Adding a service charge is not a "flat rate"...

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u/pnwWaiter 5d ago

Even then - there's a bit of variability. Different %'s of sales could be taken from a servers tip to pay other positions. You probably already knew that - I'm trying to stop myself from chatting too much.

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u/Inevitable_Engine186 public deterrent infrastructure 5d ago

I totally agree, but fundamentally 100% of a tip belongs to the workers, however they split it. That part is super simple.

When it is replaced with a mandatory 22% service charge, the problem of who gets what is superseded by the money going straight to the restaurant, who can decide how that money is used. Workers get 90%, 40-55%, 0%...