I work a day job at a local restaurant, a “small” business owned by a family that also owns several other establishments in the area and is incredibly well off. I was promised $16 p/h not counting tips, and am being paid $13.50–which, after asking around, seems to be the case for almost every other server on the job. On top of this, we're constantly being verbally berated by the owners and their family, the kitchen is filthy and dangerous, the tip-out system they use ensures they get away without paying their cooks a living wage, and they're constantly asking us to over-extend ourselves beyond our job descriptions–to which I always say “I don't get paid for that.” I finally snapped when they started threatening me, saying I would have to pay out of pocket if I messed up an order or forgot to charge someone for an item (highly illegal in this state, by the way, but we're all too poor to lawyer up for any of this).
So I started forgetting to put things on people's bills. Oh damn, I guess this beer's on the house! Oops, completely forgot to charge for that dessert. Happy birthday, here's a free glass of wine. The nicer patrons are always delighted and leave a hearty thank-you tip, so we both win.
I can't feel bad about it. These are the same people that hired a homeless man for the dish pit at minimum wage and then proceeded to tell him to work the kitchen as well without raise, doubles, nearly seven days a week, no benefits. He's gone now and I have no idea what happened to him, I can only hope he found a better job and a roof to live under.
My last day is later this month. I'm never working for a business like this again.