First, please don't respond with “you're choosing to work there”. No. I don't choose to require food and shelter to survive, andI can't afford to spend several months being picky with job offers.
I recently was hired as a chef for a national restaurant. I won't say the name, but it's a bit classier than Olive Garden and the name rhythms with Sona.
Anyways, I signed 18 documents before being given my schedule. 18. These contractual documents sign away my right to file a wage dispute with the department of labor, sue the company for harassment or discrimination, and also requires servers to waive their right to minimum wage if they earn at least 30 dollars a month in tips. That's right. In the United States of America, this company is allowed to pay servers $2.75 an hour, plus $30 in tips, or under $500 a month for full-time hours.
Why is this allowed? Why don't workers have any damned leverage in this country?