BossFeed Briefing for September 14, 2022. Last Thursday, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II died, though her family’s monarchy will evidently continue, despite the fact that we’re now well into the 21st century. Last Saturday, Raise the Wage Tukwila kicked off their doorknocking campaign for the November election. Yesterday, we demonstrated in solidarity with Starbucks Workers United outside the company's annual investor meeting, where baristas demanded a union contract and an end to shady union-busting activities. Today, Seattle teachers returned to school following a 5-day strike, reaching an agreement with the district over pay and student support services. This Saturday marks 11 years since Occupy Wall Street protesters began camping out in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park, sparking a national movement to address income inequality.
Three things to know this week:
Pawn shop company Cash America is paying $380,000 to 253 workers in Seattle as part of a wage theft settlement. The company failed to pay workers at least minimum wage and provide rest and meal breaks.
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, her son King Charles III inherited an estate worth $34.3 billion. Unlike members of the British public, members of the royal family do not have to pay the country’s 40% inheritance tax.
The biggest banks on Wall Street are set to make a record $18 billion in profits from commodities trading in 2021. The war in Ukraine and high gas prices are both contributing factors.
Two things to ask:
Is that a steal of a deal or what? A 303-foot superyacht belonging to the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has hit the market for $90 million. Previously, Allen’s estate offloaded his larger 414-foot yacht for $278 million.
Think he’ll want to unionize after his shift? Starbucks says its new CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, will spend time working as a barista to “get to know the company.” Narasimhan is set to make up to $17.5 million during his first year on the job.
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
In this piece for The Seattle Times, Crystal Paul explores the past, present, and future of tipped work in the United States. Paul traces the roots of tipping back to slavery, outlining how tips became a way for railcar companies to continue the exploitation of formerly enslaved Black men and woman in the years after the Civil War. From there, she dives into how the racist and sexist origins of tipping continue today, as service industry workers who rely on tips—especially women and people of color—face hostility and sexual harassment from customers, but fear losing income if they speak out. Finally, she highlights how gig workers are fighting back against gig company schemes to steal tips, including by organizing to win our landmark PayUp policy in Seattle, which requires company pay a minimum wage and ensures customer tips are actually extra: as our own Sage Wilson notes, “Tips should be on top of your base wage…[Anything less] is unstable, racist, and sexist.”
Read this far? Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!