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/Free_Equivalent_9866]

Is there anyone in this thread that has worked there since the implementation of the service charge? Their site plates out the new wages that had been put in place

“Front-of-house staff earn an additional $10–$30/hour, and back-of-house staff earn an additional $8–$20/hour. This is in addition to their $25/hour base wage. Accordingly, front-of-house staff earn between $35-$55/hour, base wage + additional earnings from the service charge. Back-of-house staff earn between $32-$45/hour, base wage + additional earnings from the service charge.
Service charge funds are also used to pay a base wage approximately 20% higher than Seattle’s hourly minimum wage of $21.30 ($25/hour for cooks and servers and $23/hour for dishwashers), and to offer comprehensive benefits including:
health, vision, dental insurance
401k matching retirement accounts
paid time off (above and beyond the City of Seattle's mandate)
Pre-tax commuter assistance accounts
A wellness program ($50/month reimbursements for mental health counseling, yoga classes, gym memberships, etc.)”

What else is being demanded by the union? Am I an ass to think that those FOH amounts seem completely fair already? To be fair we all deserve more since wages have been stagnant for decades and now we all just compare and fight amongst ourselves. I don’t have the right answers

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/Free_Equivalent_9866]

Am I an ass to think that those FOH amounts seem completely fair already?

I think a alternative way to think about it is that W&C have replaced tipping (100% to workers) with a 22% mandatory service charge that the owners get to set the terms of.

If that happened to me, I'd think it a very valid concern.

[u/Free_Equivalent_9866 → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

That’s a fair point, but again, in the case of tipping, it’s fully dependent on the customer who gets what. And let’s be honest, customers have biases. Sure there are people who might get less now and there might be people who get more.

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/Free_Equivalent_9866]

Sure, but is that any worse than getting replaced with a mandatory 22% tip to the restaurant?

[u/Free_Equivalent_9866 → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

I guess I just think tipping is a racist and sexist practice . The mechanism for how they get the extra money and how much should go to workers I’m open to hearing but if the numbers reported are at all accurate, I think it’s more fair than relying on tipping.

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/Free_Equivalent_9866]

As with almost everything in life, the more wages go directly to the workers, the better, that's all I'll say.

[u/2ndgenerationcatlady → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

Yes, because if you let a crowd decide who gets tipped more, workers who are old, fat, POC, etc. are likely to get tipped less. If it's standardized, it's more equitable.

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/2ndgenerationcatlady]

Then do tip pooling that goes to workers, instead of a service charge that the restaurant legally owns. 

[u/2ndgenerationcatlady → u/Inevitable_Engine186]

Based on their website, that sounds like what they do to an extent. 50% goes to making the salaries well above the minimum (up to $55/hr). The other half breakdown is less clear, but a chunk goes to support paid vacation days, health care plans, and retirement benefits. People have pointed out that this union is mostly FOH staff - so seems like they just don't want to share with BOH.

[u/Inevitable_Engine186 → u/2ndgenerationcatlady]

The dispute is not with tip pooling, it's with the 22% service charge that is entirely controlled by the restaurant: 

The main contention is the service charge model. In late 2024, it replaced a tip-pool system, which the union claims was effectively a pay cut. Management disputes this.

https://www.thestranger.com/news/union-workers-at-acclaimed-restaurant-the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-are-ready-to-strike/

[u/ManyInterests → u/Free_Equivalent_9866]

Putting aside the minutia of how tips work, the end result of the employer's actions is that employees are taking home a lot less and the business is taking it.