Basically, there can be no emergencies right now.
I work catering and cafe, and my hours went from 30/week to 8/week. My manager had me apply for temporary unemployment insurance. Our purse is very tight. We aren’t really doing anything for my birthday tomorrow — we already spent very little on food, but we will not be splurging tomorrow. We do have enough saved up for rent, but I think we won’t be able to pay down any credit debt (from a very expensive two-part root canal) for a couple months. That comes with penalties. Basically, there can be no emergencies right now. We need everything to go right. We had a vehicle and its repairs are too expensive, so we’re selling it for scrap.
- parker, barista/caterer
We’re all freaked out — not necessarily by the virus itself, but by the fact that most of us live month to month, paycheck to paycheck.
I work at a Greek restaurant on the Hill. Hours have been cut considerably. We’ve even started being closed a couple days a week. I’m worried about staying up on bills. If I get sick, I’ll probably lose my job. I’ve been cooking professionally for about five years and almost all of my friends are in the service industry. We’re all freaked out — not necessarily by the virus itself, but by the fact that most of us live month to month, paycheck to paycheck. It’s already slow season, but with this going on, it’s looking scary just to make rent. I’m one of the few industry folks I know who actually has insurance through my job. It’s a dodgy moment for all, and it sucks that it takes something this gargantuan to shine a light on the seriously lacking safety net we should be able to provide each other through government and policy.
- Che, cook
People are either getting shifts cut or if they aren’t seeing staffing cuts yet, making less money in tips on the days they do work.
I and most of my friends work in service, and since business has been slower everywhere (especially in downtown & Chinatown), people are either getting shifts cut or if they aren’t seeing staffing cuts yet, making less money in tips on the days they do work. For a few days it was so dead the only thing to do if we stayed on the clock was bleach and sanitize everything — while remaining on the tipped wage. Typically, when I look at my total income throughout the year, about 60-70% is tips. So that loss is a general loss of wages, which could be very bad for people if things keep going like this. Since there’s no policy in place for employers to cover lost income (tips) that they don’t normally cover, the least that a policy could do is have some kind of supplemental income assistance for people who are getting hours cut — like qualifying for unemployment if you get a certain percentage of hours cut.
- Dray, server/bartender
It was a matter of days before they decided to pull 25 people from the front desk completely.
I work at a hotel, and my job cut a LOT of employees — I want to say 30+. I have a lot of friends who work in hotels who have had their shifts cut or just been laid off due to our entire work being based off tourism. All they’re being told is to apply for unemployment. Since I work overnight, they’re deciding to keep us for now unless things change — but everything has been evolving quickly. It was a matter of days before they decided to pull 25 people from the front desk completely so all those people currently don’t have jobs and aren’t getting paid. I’m afraid they’re going to cut me too and I’ve been looking for other places that are hiring, because I don’t have a safety net.
- Aaron, hotel clerk
Had a total of four customers in our regularly busy downtown bar on a weekend night this weekend, so bartenders barely made anything.
At the venue where I work, we’ve cut the number of servers per shift in half due to low demand. Had a total of four customers in our regularly busy downtown bar on a weekend night this weekend, so bartenders barely made anything. I also had a weeklong stage management/light design gig canceled for the end of April because the school has gone into a six-week closure and the performances will likely no longer happen. I’m self-employed, and we didn’t yet have a contract so I don’t have any kind of cancellation fee in place. So that’s probably a $1000 gig gone for me.
- Faith, production manager
Given how narrow our margins are, a few weeks like this is devastating.
The service industry is being especially hard hit. The main issue for us is all the social isolation, which means people aren’t coming or spending money with us. So given how narrow our margins are, a few weeks like this is devastating. We need ways to cut hours without losing good staff, or make up shortages for paying bills/payroll.
- Beca, coffee shop owner
The cut in hours is stressing me out because what am I supposed to do, just not pay rent or buy groceries?
Shifts have been cut in half and we are open shorter hours during the day. I need 15-20 hours to survive (depending on the tips) and with the COVID I’m lucky if I can get 15. Luckily my parents gave me money to complete school, so the worst that can happen is delaying my return to school and putting off graduation another year or two. But the cut in hours is stressing me out because what am I supposed to do, just not pay rent or buy groceries? Also, I have to think a lot more about leaving the house, considering people have been attacking Asians for just existing. I’m low-key scared to sneeze in public outside of places like the U District where there is a large population of us.
- Sarah, food service worker
Tips have been more than cut in half — and they make up at least half, if not more, of our monthly income.
I’m a lead barista in a coffee shop inside a government building in Pioneer Square. I’d say 98% of our customers work in or around the building. With everyone who’s able being asked to telecommute, it’s hit us pretty hard. Tips have been more than cut in half — and they make up at least half, if not more, of our monthly income. We’re also closing early or staffing lighter (cutting hours). Staffing lighter also means whoever is on shift is doing the work that is typically done by two people and making less hourly because of the drop in tips.
- T, barista
My friend got forcibly laid off for three weeks because they had no hours for her after classes shut down.
My friend who works at Seattle U for Chartwells got forcibly laid off for three weeks because they had no hours for her after classes shut down. She has to collect unemployment.
- Sabina
They haven’t decided yet what they’ll do about pay if they have to shut down entirely.
I usually work at my lunch catering service twice a week (10-12 hours) while I’m in school. My hours have been cut down to zero. We have an inclement weather policy where if you’re scheduled to work and we get snowed out, we get paid for two hours each day we would have worked, but they’re refusing to apply that policy in this case. They haven’t decided yet what they’ll do about pay if they have to shut down entirely. It’s my only source of income. I’m lucky enough to have a bit of a financial safety net, but the net isn’t that big, so if my hours are down to zero next week, and the next, and the next, I don’t know what I’ll do.
- Johanna, host/server
My work even though it’s a chain is cutting shifts and potentially letting people go.
My work even though it’s a chain/corporate is cutting shifts and potentially letting people go. I’m so confused on how our company is supposed to protect its employees during all of this.
- June, food service worker
Management doesn’t want to hire more because fewer customers are coming in.
I work for a restaurant that just opened. I’m a full-time student and really only want to work 2 or 3 days. But I’m one of two servers/bartenders. Management doesn’t want to hire more because fewer customers are coming in. So I’m in a position that I have to come in every day. My schoolwork is suffering, but I need to work.
- Kristene, server
I tapped out all of my sick & safe time and PTO last week, and I’m contemplating whether or not I will go back to work this week even though my symptoms haven’t entirely cleared up.
I work for an office catering company. The majority of employees at my company are part-time because of the nature of the work. Our business is decimated. A majority of our clients are exactly the kind of big tech companies that can afford to tell everyone to work from home for the month. Numbers I was quoted were that *last* Monday we had 12 orders, whereas normally we have 60. It might be worse by this point, but I’ve been home for the past week and a half sick with something else. Internal message boards make it sound like some of the newer employees are moving on — they’ve possibly been told to do so, but if so, I’m not privy.
I was told that as one of the more senior and capable employees, they are going to do everything they can to keep giving us hours, but they cannot guarantee a certain number a week — which previously we would’ve been able to request. I tapped out all of my sick & safe time and PTO last week, and I’m contemplating whether or not I will go back to work this week even though my symptoms haven’t entirely cleared up. I’m looking at various other gig opportunities, such as warehouse work and grocery delivery.
- Linzi, office caterer
My work is going to skeleton crews and I had a shift cut this morning. It’s bleak.
My work is going to skeleton crews and I had a shift cut this morning. It’s bleak. I’m also a single parent of a school-aged child, who will be at home for the next two weeks. There’s a possibility my ex can work from home moving forward, and I have an amazing safety net — but I’m so worried about other families that don’t have those resources.
- Danaelle, front-of-house restaurant staff
I filed for temporary unemployment benefits, but for now I don’t have any reliable source of income.
I work for a catering company and I’ve been called off work for the past week already and don’t have the sick time for this. Still holding out some hope that I’ll get some hours over the weekend, but it’s not looking good. I was already stretched thin financially due to having to take some unexpected time off to help my mom who lives in Portland. I work on TaskRabbit too, but not getting much in the way of job offers there. I filed for temporary unemployment benefits, but for now I don’t have any reliable source of income.
- Corrie, caterer/gig worker
Every event that I had scheduled cancelled. No work, no pay.
Every event that I had scheduled cancelled. No work, no pay. I’m going to a resume workshop on Thursday and just going from there.
- Duane, caterer
We’re being decimated and destroyed.
I manage a restaurant and work in reception in a hotel — we’re being decimated and destroyed. If you work tech, or office, or something where you work from home — you have zero clue how rough it is for us. We’re going down under this. I’m personally doing all I can to protect my employees — but there’s only so much I can do.
- M, restaurant manager/hotel receptionist
I’m honestly dreading going into work in about twenty minutes to find out if I’m scheduled for tomorrow.
In addition to working at a nonprofit, I have a part-time line cook job at a small family-owned counter service restaurant in Pike Place Market. We’re definitely in lower demand. Sales are way way down. I started the job exactly two weeks ago. We got our first COVID death in WA state the next day. Over that weekend, my only two coworkers other than the owners were fired. I strongly suspect that low revenue may have pushed our owner over the edge in firing them.
I only get four five-hour shifts a week. So far I’ve had at least one shift a week cancelled. I was able to reclaim my shift from last week by convincing them to let me work on their website. This week, I was supposed to work on Monday, then it was shifted to Tuesday and then to Wednesday. I haven’t been able to effectively plan or manage my free time. They kept delaying my shift because of store revenue. I’m honestly dreading going into work in about twenty minutes to find out if I’m scheduled for tomorrow. If I was making good money or if these were longer shifts, I wouldn’t be complaining.
The ironic thing is that, given my professions and the fact that they’re both situated in a tourist destination, I’m in the perfect position to catch and spread COVID. I believe that the county must implement the suspension of rent/mortgage payments immediately in order to stop this virus from spreading.
- Stevie, line cook
My tips have decreased by about 30% at the Capitol Hill bar/restaurant I serve at.
I lost two shifts this week at the Belltown sushi restaurant I work at, and my tips have decreased by about 30% at the Capitol Hill bar/restaurant I serve at.
- Colleen, server/host
They said they’d email me with a schedule, but I haven’t gotten anything, so I’m just waiting to see if it cools down.
I’m a bartender at a local chain. The location I work at has been relatively stable, but our South Lake Union location has gotten hit really hard — they’ve been talking about closing altogether, and they’ve been sending workers from SLU here for shifts. I want them to have work, but it means we get less hours and tips — I wish there was some way for all of us to be taken care of.
I also work as a pastry cook at a private club, and I was completely taken off the schedule there. I don’t have sick and safe time accrued, so it’s a real concern. I have no idea how long it’s going to go on. They said they’d email me with a schedule, but I haven’t gotten anything, so I’m just waiting to see if it cools down. I’m worried about all my bills, student loans from culinary school, rent — I could look for other work, but it seems like everyone is looking for work right now, so I’m not sure what I could even find.
- Heather, bartender/pastry cook
A friend of mine was laid off from her server job at a restaurant on Capitol Hill because of the lower demand.
The impact on the service industry has been intense, especially for people who work near offices that are switching to remote work. A friend of mine was laid off from her server job at a restaurant on Capitol Hill because of the lower demand. This definitely affects restaurant workers — and any kind of support lawmakers can give to provide a safety net for us would be helpful.