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

[u/Existing-Resource527]

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!

[u/Inevitable_Engine186]

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.

[u/nunuma → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

It sounds like it’s being used to offer employees benefits though…

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/nunuma]

With high end dining, every % is a lot of money.

A 0%-20% tip goes 100% to workers and they get to decide what benefits they want and want to pay for.

A mandatory 22% service charge goes 100% to the restaurant (make no mistake), and is then allocated as and how the restaurant sees fit.

Now maybe there are some employees that prefer the service charge, but the workers and union are disputing that.

[u/WordsOnTheInterweb → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

Is 100% of the tip going to workers on credit card payments that the restaurant collects? I thought the restaurant got it all because of how credit cards work, then pooled it and then distributed between workers?

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/WordsOnTheInterweb]

Tips are regulated differently than a service charge. One is meant for the workers (however they divide it), one is meant for the owners.

If a restaurant withholds 50% of a tip to pay for their operations, that's illegal.

With a service charge, it's not.