I am writing this within the context of social critique rather than a mere complaint. The establishment known as Tut’s NYC is a brilliant microcosm of social inequity within Manhattan’s often sighted but rarely addressed nightclub industry. I recently took a position as a bar back in order to supplement my income when upon arrival for my first shift, I was promptly warned by the staff of a grossly unfair policy, where the house was allowed to acquire 15% of the pooled tips for one shift in addition to docking house pay from the bar staff at large. While evidence for this particular event is heresy, I witnessed another scene this evening where the manager got into a fight with a promoter, driving away the few guests that remained on the upper floor. I suggested prior to the fight that the manager turn on the lights to diffuse the situation but I was told to shut up and do my fucking job, later that evening I was fired for smoking a cigarette off the premises of an empty nightclub when I was not told I couldn’t smoke, merely because said manager was still in a bad mood. (I should have left hours earlier because trainees didn’t get paid, but I stayed because I wanted to close up – work a full night, and show I was serious.) To his credit, the general manager looked upset that I was leaving and I believe her realized his colleague was acting inappropriately. The moral of the story is…I could have really needed that job.
However, others that still work there have the right to let their voices be heard ad nauseam. From the Mexican and Salvadorian kitchen staff to the Yemeni hookah boy to the Moroccan and Egyptian cooks, and the American and European bar and wait staff something was profoundly lacking in sound business practice. Rather than provide incentives to increase revenue, the management bullied its staff into **********. The reason I write this letter is because I haven’t worked in the industry for some time, but upon my return, I realized that nothing has changed. In an overzealous attempt to embody current and contemporary social trends, these establishments often lack the professionalism to treat their employees with the dignity and respect they deserve. To hire and fire at will is up to the discretion of the employer. But when I looked at the owner sitting at a table ******** coffee, completely unaware that one of his managers was running his business into the ground, one has to wonder where we draw the line as a society and furthermore, define said society.
Old vs. new culture, meritocracy vs. nepotism and discrimination, these are the questions society at large must address. Will we base the agency and value of others on perceptions or hard facts? Businesses, especially businesses like this one should be audited to ensure that every employee works on the books, and criteria should be developed that would require abiding by certain ethics which prevent them from using employment to take advantage of the needy. And if that requires legalizing ******* immigrants – so be it! In closing, people working at the bottom in America have it relatively easy compared to the rest of the world. Sometimes foreign business owners forget where they are standing. In this case they were Arabs. I myself am proud of the fact that the old rules of Middle Eastern social strata don’t apply here. I am and Arab-American and between you and me, I think it stung a little that I spoke English fluently. I’m going to bed, my back is ******* me!!!
However, others that still work there have the right to let their voices be heard ad nauseam. From the Mexican and Salvadorian kitchen staff to the Yemeni hookah boy to the Moroccan and Egyptian cooks, and the American and European bar and wait staff something was profoundly lacking in sound business practice. Rather than provide incentives to increase revenue, the management bullied its staff into **********. The reason I write this letter is because I haven’t worked in the industry for some time, but upon my return, I realized that nothing has changed. In an overzealous attempt to embody current and contemporary social trends, these establishments often lack the professionalism to treat their employees with the dignity and respect they deserve. To hire and fire at will is up to the discretion of the employer. But when I looked at the owner sitting at a table ******** coffee, completely unaware that one of his managers was running his business into the ground, one has to wonder where we draw the line as a society and furthermore, define said society.
Old vs. new culture, meritocracy vs. nepotism and discrimination, these are the questions society at large must address. Will we base the agency and value of others on perceptions or hard facts? Businesses, especially businesses like this one should be audited to ensure that every employee works on the books, and criteria should be developed that would require abiding by certain ethics which prevent them from using employment to take advantage of the needy. And if that requires legalizing ******* immigrants – so be it! In closing, people working at the bottom in America have it relatively easy compared to the rest of the world. Sometimes foreign business owners forget where they are standing. In this case they were Arabs. I myself am proud of the fact that the old rules of Middle Eastern social strata don’t apply here. I am and Arab-American and between you and me, I think it stung a little that I spoke English fluently. I’m going to bed, my back is ******* me!!!
