So I'm out of the drug biz

Today was my last day at the coffee shop. Thanks to everyone that made a special trip to say good bye and to all the regulars that wished me well. I have flowers sitting on my table from Terry and cupcakes from Frank. Lots of hugs and "I didn't know it was your last day!"

Mackenzie was great - she knows I don't like a big to-dos with goodbyes, so I left the shop with a see ya later and she said the same. I then realized I forgot to clock out, so I went back in...arg! I always forget something!

Packing more stuff for Bloomington. I'm staying there between now and the end of semester instead of hanging around Carbondale. There will be a final trip to move things once D is done with class, but for the most part, I'm out. Thats the plan. I'm pretty excited.

Tip Wage Rant in a Small Coffee Shop

*Today I go on a rant. You've been warned.*

I had a rough conversation today with my boss. I finally got up the guts to confront him about something that I completely disagree with, and with Carbondale soon to be in my past anyway, today was as good as any other.

Tips. They make someone working in service feel so good. It could be a quarter, or five bucks, but it is worth so more than face value. In a coffee shop, usually a tip cup (or jug, or bowl, or cheeky vessel) sits there encouraging you to help with someone's college fund, or selflessly lets you restore your center by donating to a Karma cup. Where I work is no exception, only ours isn't in your face. It is chipped and blends in with the counter, and is small.

Anyone out there ever been a waitress? Your relationship with tips is different. You bust your a$$ for your tips - breaking into a sweat to get drink refills, extra ranch, more drinks, a new steak to replace the one that wasn't quite right only after your guest ate 3/4th of it. Waitress, you probably make tip wage, less than the rest of the minimum wage workforce, because you have the potential to make a great deal more, and your state wants to give your boss a break. Yeah, you make $4.95 an hour, but you end up making $15/ hour after all the theatrics you go through on your shift. And your patrons acknowledge this. They know they are "supposed" to tip you.

Now, have you ever heard of a person in a coffee shop making tip wage? Would you take a job making coffee for $4.95 an hour?

And this is the confrontation I bring up with my boss today.

In the world of tip wage, if a person doesn't make enough in tips to cover the difference between the tip wage and minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference - hence, the person makes minimum wage no matter what.

In Illinois, the law says any person making a minimum of $30 a MONTH in tips is in an industry which can pay its workers tip wage. The basic run down is this:

1) The worker must be told they are making tip wage
2) At no time may the employer hold the employees tips unless there is a stated tip pool
3) the employer must make up the difference if the tips are less than the difference between tip wage and minimum wage

**You can reference the Department of Labor website here if you are interested in reading up on this. Illinois specific fact sheet is here.


Right now at the shop I work at, there is a tip cup on the counter. At the end of a shift, the money is counted, put in a bag with all of the deposit bags, and each person is responsible for reporting the money at the end of their shift. At the end of the pay period, the money is totaled for each person. There is a report generated and all of the credit card tips and cash tips are totaled, and if the total is more than the total amount needed to supplement a tip wage to minimum wage, that employee is given their extra money on that period's pay check.

Here is my problem. When people are hired at the shop I work for they are not told they make tip wage. They do not get to take their tips home at the end of their shift. Most don't understand what happens with this cash once it is put in their tip bag. Most employees think they make minimum wage and never make tips.

It LOOKs like the money is taken by the shop and not given back. Some people make enough tips and are given, what he calls "*bonus checks."
*I won't tell you the amount effort I went through to get him to admit he didn't actually calculate the wage difference, then get the report so I could calculate the wage difference, then get him to give the "bonus checks", then get him to do all this himself.


Today, when my boss was explaining his system to a new employee, I hit my limit. I asked to talk with him and called him out on taking advantage of working group (ironically, students) uninterested in researching this system, and told him I couldn't work for someone that was openly dishonest with his employees. I pushed up my last day to November 19th, and asked him to be honest with his current employees, and rethink his methods when hiring new employees. He claims he has spoken to someone who has authority in this matter, and claims he is doing his reporting correctly, but I won't go into how I know this is untrue.

I hate having waited so long to do anything about this. I hate knowing the main reason I didn't do anything was for my disinterest is working in a hostile environment or looking for a different job. I was lazy. If any of the people I work with are reading this, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to do anything other than have him re-explain, and re-explain in hopes that I missed some little thing that would make his method make sense.

So, now I've made him think about how he is going to change his system. He needs to be upfront when hiring and let applicants know they would be making tip wage. He needs to report tips, and wage, correctly. He needs to let people take their tip money home with them. This is, if he wants to keep operating on a tip wage scale. He could be like every other coffee shop I know of (including one you may have heard of: STARBUCKS) and let his employees make minimum wage (or whatever wage above that) plus their tips. I don't think he will find many people interested in working for tip wage + tips. How can someone make more in tips when they aren't a full service establishment?

********

So, I put it all out there. I told him all of my observations. I called him out on his hiring practices. I told him he was being sneaky and inconsistent. I told him it appeared he was stealing from his employees. I wish I would have busted out the big word - fraudulent - but it didn't come to me. I told him I would be leaving the shop sooner rather than later because I wouldn't train people thinking they would be getting money that they weren't getting. I hope he takes me seriously.

More Antigua

Here are more images from Guatemala. It seemed the town is a wonderland for photographers with all of the texture and color on every street.

I had the opportunity to meet some people who have become very important to Linda and Gus in the years they've been going to Antigua, and the next few shots are of them.
This is Vilma and her new daughter Adrianna. Vilma and her family are weavers, each wearing items they have made along with the sling that Adrianna is sitting in. They came to see us with a load of items they had made to fill the requests Linda collects from people back in Chicaco.


Above is an extended part of Gus and Linda's family, Charlie, Hojana, and Jonathan. Not seen is another member Juan Carlos. All of which were such fun and so kind. Charlie turned 13 while we were visiting, and just like American kids, he was happy to wolf down a few McDonald's burgers.
Me and Adrianna! I got a first hand look at what kind of diapers (ie: cloth) are used after I noticed Adrianna was visibly leaking all over me and the floor while I was holding her! That just the way it goes sometimes I guess.

This is from a hike Dan and I took at a coffee farm named Finca Santa Elaina. The views were incredible, with the farm running right up the ledge of the river and rolling hills making up the most of the property.
Farm kitten!
Two parrots enjoying their view in the side of the building where the bulk coffee is stored.

Coming back from the Finca, we stopped at a road side fruit stand where these women were working. Dan bought sugar cane from them - it's interesting, you should try it.

Weighing the day's pickings at the finca.

I didn't learn her name, but Mark (out tour guide and host at the finca) called this little girl the coffee pixie, as she flits all over the grounds.
Dan illustrating how large the base of this Saba tree is.

This is the first coffee pickings of the year. They don't put the first bunch through the processing as it is mostly low quality beans and getting it off the plant is more important. It is drying here on the patio.
Dan with one of of the farm dogs, Milo (Mee Lou) while on our hike.

5th Ave in Antigua.


There was some sort of parade while were were walking around the market. The girls were all young and dressed up, and some threw candy to the crowd.


Dan before dinner one night.

Dan and I Joked that maybe we could hang a deer head on our wall - if it were made of wood.

Linda and Adrianna on one of visits with Vilma.

School kids walking home after class.




Linda and I went shopping at some of her favorite stores. Here we were at Women's co-op store and this little girl was helping her mom sell items. She couldn't say very much, but she was great at pulling things off the shelf and giving them to me. She liked my hat and also the screen on my camera that flips around when taking pictures, which is what she was doing here - looking at herself.
The World Cup was going on while we were there! It was awesome to watch a game in Guatemala with the pub packed with Dutchmen in orange. It was packed and a scream when anything good or bad happened in the matches.



My travel companions! Dan and his parents, Gus and Linda.

At the market.

Coffee Beast

(from Andre Jordan's blog)

This was me this morning.

Renters, movers, eaters...oh my!

I was successful in renting my apartment! I have Simon and James living in my cute little place until November, with the possibility of the month of November being added on if their contract continues.

I spent the weekend running all over, all for happy reasons, but now, sitting at the Coffee Hound in Normal, I'm feeling the tired. Not a good sign when I have four hours of driving a head of me.

Other huge things that happened this weekend: 1. Audrey and Greg got married 2. Trish and Crissy moved into their beautiful new house together.

I got a chance to talk with Audrey and Greg this morning (over coffee!) and heard the whole story of how they decided to tie the know four months before their intended wedding day. The whole thing has a few sad details about issues with health care and irresponsible bosses, but they are happy and are still planning on having a party in September. I'll be making Audrey's bouquet out of cloth flowers, one of which she saw and loved as I was wearing it as a brooch on my sweater. It will be fun to play with how they'll fit together, along with the butterflies (which will be all over everything for her decorations).

After Kristy, Cori, and Linda (Cori's mom) were done yard-saleing in Hudson on Saturday morning, I helped Trish and Crissy move into their lovely house. I am looking forward to seeing how they put it all together, as there are reading nooks and lots of fun corners. They both have a fun style and enjoy hosting get-togethers, so any party they have in the future will be pleasant for multiple reasons. It's been a while since I've been covered in that special kind of sweat that seems to be unique with moving, but it felt good to help friends with a task which is universally despised.

Add a bbq, shampooing carpets, moving a queen bed into the apartment, listening to a band (sort of) and the various emails with the company from England, and my weekend is happy to be over! I have a bag of peaberry beans roasted by Steve to take home to Dan, and some new music from Jessica to listen to in the car. Adios amigos.

More Stieg Larsson is a good thing.

A present came for me in the mail last Tuesday that made my whole week. The third book by Steig Larsson arrived from Linda. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest hasn't been released in the US yet, but Linda happens to have a friend across the pond that was happy to loan out her copy! This book/series is quite a read. The lead female character is unlike any I've read before. Lisbeth Salander is a wisp of a person (physically) but has skills and a stoicism that is both scary and inspiring. I won't go into plot lines, but if you are interested in some great crime novels, the first two are The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and The Girl Who Played With Fire.

(found here)

And so now, happy Sunday.

I started my day with the kitties getting into trouble. Knocking things off the counter on their wild laps around the house, all before the sun was up. Luckily there was just enough coffee left to make a pot for today. Whew!

We've had glorious thunder storms all weekend here in C-dale. Wind and downpours without any sprinkle of warning. Dan got soaked coming back in from changing the laundry, and it was only a few minutes and maybe 15 yards away!

I'm sewing bags and pockets, and altering dresses and skirts I picked up at Good Will. The more I get to using my sewing machine, the more I want to try. It's a rewarding/ongoing cycle.

Enjoy the day!

88 degrees!

The Bank of Carbondale said it was 88 degrees today when I got off work. My steering wheel was too hot to hold. My knees were sweating.

I stopped off at the Murdale hardware store and bought this wonderful lemon yellow watering can. This is the first place I've lived where my outside planting need to be watered from a spigot inside the house. I don't have the balance necessary to carry bowls of water back and forth outside the door. And isn't it cute? It is so happy and welcoming!


This is the finished apron I've made for one of my customers. I love how it's turned out. The stitching (although you can't see it) is very fun and colorful, and I played with a multi-use pocket instead of a single, smaller one. There's places for pens! I also made the neck strap adjustable. Dan suggested adding loops for all sorts of utensils, sort of kitchen utility belt style, but I didn't think a commissioned apron was the one to try spoon holsters on. I offered to make him one with any type of holder he would want, but he declined the offer. : )

Today at work my mind was happy to imagine my future coffee shop. I am frustrated with myself for not having something started (other than ideas, notes, and a swollen dream) and realized (again) that sometimes it's best to just do it. Do it and learn what I need to learn as I go. So I'm thinking about ways to reduce start up costs. Anyone want to help me convert a van to a mobile coffee haven?

I'm going to go enjoy the rest of "Spring" before the humidity shows up.

USBC!!!

Today is the final round of the United States Barista Championship. Cara, Joe, and I were watching it in the shop in between tornado warnings and picking up pieces of the building that were flying about. Ya' know. Just another day in Illinois.

I just finished watching the last performer, Mike Phillips, a Intelly member from Chicago, and he put together an awesome routine, again. There are two people from the Great Lakes Region, Mike P. and Scott Lucey.

20 minutes until the winner is announced!

Look! I'm excited!

Decaf coffee is like kissing your sister.

The USBC is this weekend in Portland. The list of competitors is awesome. I want to go so bad! I'm excited to see the growth of the competition, even in just the last two years. I can't help but wonder what they'll be like when I get back into competing.

I just took a turn through all of the job postings on coffee.com and got ancy. I could move to Oregon, Edmondton, or where ever else! I want to get back in a shop where the owners and baristas have something to teach, and are passionate about teaching. Or at least are curious and experimental. For me, like with playing the guitar, being around baristas that are better than I am makes it interesting, helps me retain information. I feel like I can get my foot in the door at any of these places, but it's not quite right. The idea of me starting something new to take into the long-term without Dan seems hollow. It's good then that I don't have to.