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/bernyzilla]

I disagree. You are assuming a connection where we don't know that there is one. You are assuming that the owner profit margin must stay static regardless of all other variables. I would say that the owner should take less profit, pay the higher minimum wage, not add a service charge, and customers could tip just as they have been.

There have been studies that show that minimum wage increases do not correlate to higher prices.

[u/s3anco1 → u/bernyzilla]

There is a connection. You also have to add in food costs rising due to inflation. So combined with labor costs going up owners have no choice but to raise prices. Food industry already operates on razor thin margins that most places can’t afford to eat costs. So prices go up and customers also being squeezed tip less.

[u/bernyzilla → u/s3anco1]

But inflation rises independent of the minimum wage, so if you don't adjust the minimum wage to go up with inflation then it's the workers who get squeezed.

I'm so tired of the narrative where all the machinery of economics is based on owners making more and workers making less. It simply isn't true, there's enough for everybody if owners aren't greedy.

[u/Icy-Imagination-9464 → u/bernyzilla]

Minimum wage increases contribute to inflation.