I work in a small, locally owned restaurant in West Virginia. Servers are required to bus their tables and wash their dishes. ( It's not as bad as it may sound)
Recently, our dishwasher stopped working. Since then, we have been expected to HANDWASH all our dishes: plates, cups, silverware, even pots and pans from the kitchen. Sh*t happens, I get it.
It has now been one month. The owner, to my knowledge, has made NO attempt to repair the machine. Nor are we being compensated for the extra work and inconvenience. (I make $2.50/hr
+ tips, btw) I have kept my head down, my mouth shut and have tried my damnedest to wait it out, but enough IS enough. Thirty days is ample time to come up with a solution without pressure or interference from employees.
My husband has suggested an anonymous call to the local health dept and/or labor board. A co-worker has voted for a good old fashioned strike.
I would be content with 1 of 3 things:
1) just fix the dishwasher
(which the owner has no intention of doing)
2) adjust my pay rate to reflect the work performed (this free labor train is out of steam )
3) hire an actual dishwasher for our busier hours
(we've actually paid the kitchen prep guy out of our own pocket to help us when it's super busy)
My end goal is to demand results from the owner without threats or ultimatums (termination of employment, legal action, etc.) without ruining the employee/employer relationship.
Advice/Suggestions/Opinions PLEASE
Recently, our dishwasher stopped working. Since then, we have been expected to HANDWASH all our dishes: plates, cups, silverware, even pots and pans from the kitchen. Sh*t happens, I get it.
It has now been one month. The owner, to my knowledge, has made NO attempt to repair the machine. Nor are we being compensated for the extra work and inconvenience. (I make $2.50/hr
+ tips, btw) I have kept my head down, my mouth shut and have tried my damnedest to wait it out, but enough IS enough. Thirty days is ample time to come up with a solution without pressure or interference from employees.
My husband has suggested an anonymous call to the local health dept and/or labor board. A co-worker has voted for a good old fashioned strike.
I would be content with 1 of 3 things:
1) just fix the dishwasher
(which the owner has no intention of doing)
2) adjust my pay rate to reflect the work performed (this free labor train is out of steam )
3) hire an actual dishwasher for our busier hours
(we've actually paid the kitchen prep guy out of our own pocket to help us when it's super busy)
My end goal is to demand results from the owner without threats or ultimatums (termination of employment, legal action, etc.) without ruining the employee/employer relationship.
Advice/Suggestions/Opinions PLEASE
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