For background. I work in beach service, a seasonal job which heavily relies on tips. I found out this morning that I have been “accidentally” placed in a lesser tip pool for this season and have been making much less than my coworkers for the same work, even though I am paid more than them hourly. I’ve been told throughout the whole year by my bosses that I am one of few people at the company who are “irreplaceable.” Here is a text I sent to my boss after he asked what it would take to bring me back.
I am not going to keep setting myself on fire to keep others warm. This was my fourth year at the company, and I have clearly demonstrated throughout my time that I am willing and able to do anything that is asked of me and give full effort while doing it. I was told time and time again how valuable I was to the company yet had more than a handful of empty and unfulfilled promises thrown my way this season. There is no reason whatsoever why my paychecks should be substantially less than those who:
- Have worked at the company significantly less time than I have
- Aren’t specialized to work in every section of the beach like I am, and
- Put in much less effort and take less initiative than I do
I was promised 40 hours a week by all 3 managers at the beginning of the season yet I’ve eclipsed that mark just a couple of times solely on the busiest weeks of the year or when I am covering for individuals who are sick. My paychecks average out to an amount below $500 year-to-date. This is not even remotely a sustainable amount as an adult and college student who is supposed to be working full time. Requests as simple as getting a uniform shirt when I had just one took well over a month to happen. I even spent several weeks showing up at the wrong setup and breakdown times because I was not added to the group chat where these times were posted even after asking on several occasions. These, among many, MANY others I haven’t even listed, are all complaints I had voiced to managers yet it took months of asking for any of them to be addressed, if they were at all.
I’ve been shorted hours, tips, respect, class, and dignity the entire season. I am not interested in coming back.