Sorry, but I have limited sympathy for waiters/waitresses. Everybody I know who has worked as one makes more than what they are worth hourly in tips. Even modestly attractive college aged girls make mad money on tips, and on “good nights” make more than I do at my post-graduate job. It is unpredictable income for sure, but it is also unskilled and easy work, and if you treat people well, on the average you will get good enough tips to more than offset your low hourly rate. I agree however that servers should be paid a fair wage and that tipping should be a thing of the past, but this also de-incentivises (I feel like im making up a word here) people from taking on these mostly part-time jobs for extra money.
In corona-times however, I do sympathize with these people since they are no longer making any money to pay their bills. But they are also joining a long list of other people who have been laid off, suspended, or outright fired. Good luck to everyone equally.
I rarely go out to eat and if I do it’s alone and usually only costs me like $15.00. I like to put a little smile on their face and leave a $5 or $6 tip. I usually get 2 extra, EXTRA toasted everything bagels with cream cheese at a sit-down kiosk at the mall before I go to an early matinee. It costs $4.00 and the lady, Anna, always makes them perfect for me. I read my book, slowly eat, and leave her a $3.00 tip. These people really hustle and I appreciate them a lot and maybe my tip will help them in some way I will never know about.
Even a home made mask is better than nothing! I suspect we could use yo-yo strings to make a decent mask with some cotton T-shirt fabric or an anti microbial pillowcase?
CDC - “Existing literature regarding SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses (e.g. MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV) suggest that the incubation period may range from 2–14 days.”
What you are referencing isn’t even covid19 as quoted above. What I’m talking about is the measured incubation recorded from the countries who have tested the actual covid19 strain. It is still a guess, but that’s the data they have so far.
They are already talking about kicking renters out who loose their jobs in some cities. I saw where a Florida mayor walked out during a meeting after defending cutting peoples power off already.
“We should have been talking about this last week. We cut off people’s utilities this week and made them pay what could have been their last check to us to turn their lights on in a global health pandemic. But you don’t care about that. You didn’t want to meet. But every other year you go around and beg people for their votes. You care more your relationship with that guy (referring to the speaker) then you care about the relationship with the people who don’t go to work in this office… You failed to act, when you’re a leader, you failed to act.”
The hospitals are having a terrible time keeping stocked on protective gear and when those staff memeber’s get sick, it’s crippling. The latest math of current infection rates to beds available show hospitals will be overwhelmed in 3 weeks here. Hopefully the supply chain providing protective gear will have caught up by then or their projections become even more dire. This is why they are already setting up staging areas with 100’s of cots/beds in arena’s and parking garages around the country, they know what’s coming.
Edit in: This is why you are hearing about ‘flattening the curve’ from the scientist. It’s to spread out the infection rate over time so they are better able to treat the sick. We should all be serious about these recommendations. The math shows we have this small chance to reduce the risk of overwhelming our limited health care system by abiding to the social distancing, hand washing etc. We should do all we can to achieve it.
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As far as restaurant workers, it’s off topic, but the literature is out there. States do have to make up from a low tipped wage but that’s still completely unnecessary if you paid them correctly. Tipping has been proven time and again not to result in better service overall, just ask the rest of the world. It is a sham and the law (from 2003/2004) iirc said anyone who had the title ‘manager’ added would loose the legal right to overtime. This was specifically put in for the restaurant industry written by their lobbyist. I know the servers are not the ones laughing all the way to the bank but the owners I’ve known are all multi-millionaires. Why, because they take the profits from these workers for themselves. It’s quite simple economics really.
A small % of servers do make $$$. Bartenders I know make $80,000+ a year and are paid $11hr + tips while working 60hr weeks, but love it. I don’t know any servers who come close. I’ve never been one and I’m not defending them but many do not have a choice for employment otherwise and deserve fairer treatment imho. The work atmosphere I’ve witnessed would make Harvey Weinstein blush and the food handling is actually sickening. Working in a big chain restaurant will stop you from eating out ever again lol. Well, that and learning to cook at home. You will eat much better food, save money, and probably see a marked difference in your health, depending on what you eat of course.
Watched it yesterday. Wow. No wonder Brilliant is critical of the current situation. The whole medical community is presently laughing at the ‘do two things at once’ and ‘we will re-open in 3 weeks’ rhetoric. If we do not flatten this curve, it’s going to be a massive problem and the worst part is in much of the country it is business as usual, even today.
Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick said on TV he & other seniors would rather die as see the US economy hurt in the pandemic and they are ready to work no matter what. Who does he think the ‘economy’ is? Our taxes have paid them these trillions of bailout dollars. It’s not their money, it’s ours.
But as Mister Rogers said, always look for the helpers. If you want to cry just a little more, watch this 1min.
Albuquerque, and the state of New Mexico have been put on shelter in place.
Mostly bored since school has been canceled, but i have been given a lot of time to get back into yoyo, after not being able to due to the amount of schoolwork and stuff like that
My testing facility just “cut” our hours down from 8 to 6, but will still pay us for the full 8 if we are done with work in 6 hours. I think this has less to do with being a grim prospect of being laid off, and more just to reduce the time employees are intermingling (which is honestly grossly excessive, and nobody is actually doing their job since volume has decreased dramatically for anything non-COVID-19 testing related), but I am being optimistic.
I hope everybody is hanging in there. We got another 6 months of this at least… maybe up to 12 months more if you’re not feeling particularly optimistic… so pace yourselves for that kind of marathon.
Still going strong with my furlough/layoff unfortunately. Not even a peep about guidelines of when amusement parks in CA can reopen…(I work at a theme park as a graphic artist)
It’s been a roller coaster of emotions these past 6 months, with many days wondering if I’m still going to have a job or if I’m going to have to fight everyone for a new job. My position still exists and I’m still in the books as I found out some slight encouraging news last month. Certainly not throwing in the towel yet.
If CA finally let go of its death grip on closed parks, I feel like I’d be safer at a theme park (with the established precautions being taken like what the rest of the US is doing) than I would be in my local Walmart (which is an absolute blood bath with careless shoppers). But yea, 6 months in and not even a full glimmer of hope yet.
