Thread: Problems at work (WARNING; a long rant...)

I've been performing at a local Morroccan teahouse for a couple of years. The pay has never been high but we have performed three shows a week so it has been a steady income and they have always paid us on time. Overall, I've liked working there and they have always treated us well.
However, the teahouse changed owner a while ago.

Last Sunday was very rainy and when I arrived the place was empty. I was told by a staff member I wouldn't dance, could go home if I wanted to and they would pay the gas money.
I refused and told him that they had to pay the full price since they hadn't called me earlier to cancel the show. I stayed around for about an hour and some customers dropped in so I did my sets as usual and they finally paid me- BUT I was also told that from now on I will only get gas money on slow nights when I don't dance.

I suggested we'd perform two nights a week instead of three a until things start going better but they didn't accept it since they want to continue to advertise shows three times a week.
They did however suggest to pay us more the nights we actually dance- but there's still the risk of going there and coming home with empty pockets.
In other words, I have to go to work without knowing if I will earn anything at all!

One of the other dancers I talked to think it's OK since we will earn more on the nights we actually perform; and so do the flamenco musicians that work with the same owner... Other dancers have applied for the job too and also accept these conditions... Sadly, it seems to be normal around here...

At the moment most of my income comes from performing and the Spanish economy is really bad, so getting another job will be difficult, but it really feels wrong to accept this.
Am I overreacting?

Right it feels like my only option is going back to Sweden...

Originally Posted by yarahbellydance

I've been performing at a local Morroccan teahouse for a couple of years. The pay has never been high but we have performed three shows a week so it has been a steady income and they have always paid us on time. Overall, I've liked working there and they have always treated us well.
However, the teahouse changed owner a while ago.

Last Sunday was very rainy and when I arrived the place was empty. I was told by a staff member I wouldn't dance, could go home if I wanted to and they would pay the gas money.
I refused and told him that they had to pay the full price since they hadn't called me earlier to cancel the show. I stayed around for about an hour and some customers dropped in so I did my sets as usual and they finally paid me- BUT I was also told that from now on I will only get gas money on slow nights when I don't dance.

I suggested we'd perform two nights a week instead of three a until things start going better but they didn't accept it since they want to continue to advertise shows three times a week.
They did however suggest to pay us more the nights we actually dance- but there's still the risk of going there and coming home with empty pockets.
In other words, I have to go to work without knowing if I will earn anything at all!

One of the other dancers I talked to think it's OK since we will earn more on the nights we actually perform; and so do the flamenco musicians that work with the same owner... Other dancers have applied for the job too and also accept these conditions... Sadly, it seems to be normal around here...

At the moment most of my income comes from performing and the Spanish economy is really bad, so getting another job will be difficult, but it really feels wrong to accept this.
Am I overreacting?

Right it feels like my only option is going back to Sweden...

Oh I don't blame you for being sad.

In this economy people are having to adjust.

Personally I think it's bad to show up for work, having put forth the effort to get all ready to perform etc - and not get paid.

I wonder if there's a compromise? Can you work something out so you'd at least be paid for your time?

I think you are right. They need to call you a minimum of 1 hour before the scheduled show time to cancel, otherwise, charge them full price. I don't buy these "gimicks" of paying more on show nights but nothing on the others. Bullsh!t.

I think it's pretty simple business sense to me: if there aren't enough customers to pay for having a dancer 1 hour before the show, cancel it. If there is, go ahead. Duh!

As a proactive measure on your part, you could start calling them 1 hour before show time to check if there is a show that night. tHey might get annoyed but that will help them see that your time is valuable AND that they need to commit.

If they won't accept your reasonable terms, then it's not worth if for you to dance there. If it means finding other sources of income, so be it. If other dancers choose to undercut and accept those degrading terms, they have less self-worth and/or less quality. YOu get what you pay for. It's just too bad that they undercut the whole dance scene. I'm frustrated just thinking about it! I've seen it happen in other communities and it's disgusting. Everybody loses.

Best of luck to you.

There is a baby dancer (not ready to perform in public) in my area who is dancing for free during the week, at the resteraunt where I dance on weekends! Not only is she dancing for free, but she knows it's hurting the dance community and continues to do it to "gain experience"! So frustrating and selfish!

So frustrating. I'd simply call an hour in advance and ask them if they need a show. This is normal procedure for some places (not ideal, but better than showing up and not getting paid).
Maybe make friendly phone calls to their other entertainers to try to all get on the same page.

Ugh. I have been through the same, and it's not fun. It's unfair and unprofessional of the restaurant owner - either anticipate based on previous nights or reservations and cancel/go ahead accordingly, or give the dancer fair notice.

You're lucky, because in my situation I shelled out for a cab SEVERAL times, got a call en-route (or sometimes was canceled AT the restaurant) and never got reimbursed. The last time it happened, I politely spoke up and said it wasn't fair - and then was chastised by the owner and told that I was behaving unfairly and unprofessionally. I told the owner where they could put their gig... and I don't regret it at all.

It's tough to stand up for yourself, especially when it means you may lose out - but just remember that your time and dignity are worth far more than the measly excuse for compensation that they're offering.

I agree with Hala Jamal and SamiraShuruk, call before you're scheduled to perform, if they can't give you a straight answer tell them you'll call again. Make sure things are crystal clear with the owner, if you need a contract, I would get one. This is normally not needed at reputable venues/restaurants because they value you as a performer, but if you're afraid of undercutting and flat out not being paid, it might be a wake-up call that you're a serious professional. Also, I don't know the area, but I would start promoting yourself and broadening where you dance. Start finding out where dancers are needed be it restaurants, clubs, etc. With the economy the way it is, everyone is replaceable no matter the profession, to find some security, hold others to a high standard, establish a pay rate and don't compromise on it, if you're not recieving what you're owed, move on.

I'd highly warn against accepting solely their terms because you'll feel cheated in the end and owners will start de-valuing how much dancers SHOULD get paid and what they WILL get paid. Good luck!

If I may play Devil's Advocate:

I have had many, many jobs in my life that involve working in a public place where customers come in, from waitress to bookstore clerk to grocery bagger and lots more in between. In every single one of these jobs, in several different U.S. states, it was a standard expectation that we could be forced to clock out and be sent home at any moment if the business was having too slow a day/night to justify the amount of staff currently on the clock. As frustrating as it always was to miss out on the pay, it still made sense to me. A business shouldn't be forced to make what is obviously a bad decision for itself when the writing's on the wall. Cutting one's losses is a standard business decision in tough times. Would you rather they went out of business so that you could never dance there again?

I obviously don't know the specifics of this situation, but would it be fair to theorize, since there was an ownership change, that the old owners weren't successful and these new owners are simply more willing to make the hard decisions that need to be made for the sake of the business? These are tough times - too much generosity could truly kill a place. I mean, if they're not having a successful night, how can it really be expected that their employees should have one?

I agree it should be imperative to receive a phone call so you don't have to make the drive over if they don't need anyone. And if it's something that's starting to happen so often that it's obvious the restaurant can't consistently justify a dancer 3 nights a week, then certainly your own time needs to be respected and changes to the arrangment should be made.

Maena,
Yes, servers etc are sent home early on slow nights. But they always have at least received a small hourly rate for the time they DID spend there as well as tips form any tables they may have had. They didn't go there and get nothing. Neither do they have all the prep work we have to get ready. They are staff, we are contractors.
I am suggesting that the restaurant make that "difficult" decision in a timely way for the dancer not to completely waste her time AND so they can inform any patrons coming in "sorry, no dancer this evening".
It IS important for us to support the venues as a business, just as it is important for them (and us) to treat our business as a business. They need to recognize our time is valuable and make decisions about having a show with that in mind.
We are not staff. We are contractors. To that end, if they need to do a call in, they need to do a call in. If the call in answer is "no" more often than "yes" we need to make the business decision to possibly open up our time. Maybe we need to seek another gig, maybe we need to reserve that time for family time or take classes/ practice etc. But- the business decision is not just for the restaurant to make.

What if you explain it to the restaurant owner in terms of opportunity lost. Meaning, "I get several performance opportunities each weekend, but I reserved this night for your business and turned down a party, wedding, other restaurant, etc." The bottom line is that when anyone schedules you they have "bought" your night, meaning not just your performance, but your time. If you show up and don't get paid, you have lost out not only on that gig, but also on other gigs you could have had that would have paid. Then you could explain that in the future, if you are offered another gig, you will take it since the pay is guaranteed, and you will find the restaurant a sub for the night. If they want to ensure that you will be there, you need a pay guarantee.

I don't like the way businesses treat 'unskilled' labor (like waitresses and baggers) and I certainly don't advocate dancers adopting an unskilled-labor mindset, especially when they are not employees but contractors.

I also have a problem with the restaurant wanting to advertise dancers but feeling free to send them home if they don't think the crowd is there. From the customer point of view, if two waitresses are sent home but there's still one left to assist customers, then they are getting the service they are paying for. But if the restaurant advertises a dancer and then sends you home, that's not honest advertising. And I would bet money that if patrons come in after you leave and want to know where the dancers are, the restaurant will tell them you didn't come in rather than 'fess up to sending you home, thereby impacting your reputation in order to preserve theirs.

The only 'fair' thing I can think of is something similar to a deposit - if they cancel at the last minute you keep the deposit. And if you don't mind being part (and maybe victim) of false advertising manuevers. But you might better put your energy into developing another gig. The restaurant is very likely on a downhill spiral and they will not pull out.

Thanks for all your comments!


Update: Looks like the problem is solved (at least for now)...
I talked to the other dancer and she agreed with me.
We both told the owners we wouldn't perform there without a pay guarantee and that they have to cancel at least a couple of hours in advance if they don't need a show.
At first they told us they had seven (!) other dancers they could call... but they probably made that up because they called us a few days later to tell us we'd continue with the same deal as we had from the beginning!

I danced again last week and didn't have any problems at all.
Sunday was a slow night but I did my sets and they paid me. The flamenco show was cancelled though, not sure if the musicians were paid or not...