As the weather warms and the student body migrates to the Terrace, the Brat Stand - an appendage of the Rathskellar - opens for business. Long, slowly progressing lines were abundant last weekend, and some customers waited over half an hour for food or drink.
This wait is due to understaffing at Memorial Union. While the contentious issues were presumably discussed during the employee listening sessions, the problems of worker turnover remains.
One of primary reasons for low worker turn-out and productivity is the disappearance of tips, which workers received as recently as last semester. The official reason for the sudden ban on tips is state employees are technically not allowed to receive anything of value"" other than their wage. In reality, alleged employee misconduct led to upper management denying the privilege of tips.
On the surface, a ban on something deemed illegal by the state is necessary. However, the intention of the state law, ER-MRS 24.01, was made ""for the guidance of employees to avoid activities which cause, or tend to cause, conflicts between their personal interests and their public responsibilities."" There is no reasonable way to consider tipping someone who serves beer and food as a conflict of interest. The context of the law is completely unrelated to food service, and Union management could easily turn a blind eye to tipping.
Assuming any other state employed food servers are forbidden from taking tips, the state should work to amend the law to curtail the conflict of interest claim to positions where it matters. Politicians and government workers with state benefits should abide by this law. Food service workers, especially part-time students, don't receive similar benefits working for the state.
This is an idea with which the Memorial Union administration would agree, ""We'd have no problem with it theoretically,"" said Communications Director Marc Kennedy.
""There is the possibility that concerns may arise over who should share in the tips. Students behind the scenes who help keep the building and Terrace clean, prepare rooms for events and food in the kitchen are also integral.""
Although there are other workers who would not benefit from a renewed tipping policy, this was the way the Union operated previously without complaints. Additionally, allowing tips would improve competition and improve service from those working positions that supervisors are currently forced to work with minimal compensation.
The state Legislature needs to amend the current law - which will not take effect until 2009 - in order to make tips acceptable to ensure happy customers with prompt service from satisfied employees. Both customers and employees alike must pressure current and future lawmakers to act on this proposal.
