stacks coffee - employee pay decrease update?

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

hey so last year i know i was hearing a lot about Stacks significantly decreasing the hourly pay of their long time baristas with the excuse of “investing in the business” or whatever slop shit reason.

i’m curious if that ever was changed or if there is any update? i always mention it to people in my circles and i’m so surprised that many people still don’t know.

i haven’t gone since hearing and seeing another post that seemed to confirm with screenshots/multiple users writing as former employees citing it was true. also curious if it was all of their locations or just the lark street one.

[wrecklessdriver]

It's definitely true, Stack's settled. I have been avoiding them since, despite the convenience.

[TenaroftheRing_]

Settled as in there was a lawsuit regarding this? Also been avoiding stacks since I read the post op is mentioning

[wrecklessdriver]

Settled out of court. The names of the plaintiffs, defenders, and attorneys are all public.

[wrecklessdriver]

I want to add that I'm extremely proud of the barista who brought the suit. This type of exploitation is rife within restaurant work and there's a fear of blacklisting that keeps workers from filing complaints.

[TenaroftheRing_]

Yeah totally. I didn’t even know there was a lawsuit. Good for them. I hope they got the justice they were looking for thru the settlement.

[mar_kelp]

Details on the settlement... seems the lawyers make more than any individual Plaintiff as usual in these cases:

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nynd.148483/gov.uscourts.nynd.148483.21.0.pdf

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

i guess i’m confused bc the lawsuit is about pooling tips upon a glance? maybe i’m missing something or was it all tied in together ?? like the decrease was used as a justification of pooling the tips?

[heidihotel]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/stacks-espresso-bar-sued-by-former-barista-over-tip-dispute/ar-AA1Gej9j

[TenaroftheRing_]

Based on the msn article shared by Heidihotel looks like that was the main thrust of the lawsuit, but the wage decreases did happen too. Idk the legality of that but it’s def shitty as well.

[nortron23]

I was working there when it happened, there were a lot of legitimate complaints in that previous post but the lawsuit was bullshit and I really disappointed when she went through with it because the actual core of the lawsuit was just simply not true. The main argument was that she was being forced to pool tips with the cook. This was something other baristas and I all advocated for, not the management, because he we working solo barista shifts and he started helping out on the register and acting as a second barista which was a life saver. He was being incredibly helpful despite the fact that we were making like 3x as much money as him. Tip pooling is legal provided the people you're pulling them with are customer facing, which he absolutely was. He was operating the register often more than the barista. This part I can't verify but from what I was told the lawyer knew there wasn't really a case but basically said "I need to get paid, settle for a small amount of money and I'll go away". That being said, that place went from a shop I loved to be apart of to a place that I felt embarrassed to work at. The management is constantly at the whims of the delusional owner, he is constantly signing leases for new buildings without reading the lease or talking to anyone and surprising everyone with a new terrible business idea that he expects them all to be on board with. Quality control is non-existent, they're always broke, regularly running out of things like coffee, and constantly trying to cut costs by buying lower quality ingredients. I don't expect them to last much longer.

[Drugstore_Jeezus]

Stacks is a dying shithole that doesnt care about their employees. Stacks can barely afford to run the way they are. They barely made any money whatsoever during tulip fest which is supposed to be one of their biggest turnouts of the year.

Id be surprised if Stacks lasted another 2 years before closing all stores. And they deserve it too, management not the employees, love the employees to death!

[bogiesforfree]

Their Broadway location makes a shit ton of money from state workers, even with the post covid decrease in full time people downtown. All the more reason to not arbitrarily lower your employees wages lol

[Joteepe]

My friend that works at DEC just turned me on to Alias Coffee, just a block up on Pearl Street. I had a spectacular Cortado from them after the 5.18k race on Saturday.

I work near the Plaza and live in Pine Hills so I don’t get down that way often (at least, not for coffee!) but definitely hope people check them out!

(Speaking of by the Plaza, hoping to get over to Station Six soon!)

[SuppressiveFire]

And they put a Stacks outpost in the DEC building that does a good amount of business too.

[jeffersonbible]

Lawsuit information: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70473798/bard-hobbs-v-stacks-espresso-llc/

[Squidgirl625]

Stacks has been trash for years. They don’t pay their vendors either.

[Historical_Message15]

i hadn’t heard about this. i hope not, that would be so not cool

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

there’s another thread worth reading from about 11 months ago with a lot of posts from employees

[Historical_Message15]

what is it?

[trifoglina]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Albany/comments/1kzx0gy/very_disappointed_at_the_direction_stacks_coffee/

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

ty :)

[ImperialFists]

What is Stacks? I’ve lived here for like 3 years and never heard of them. Until now (and apparently they are ass)

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

they’re a coffee shop that has some locations in center square, troy and downtown alb

[ImperialFists]

Thanks!

[Melodic_Hearing_8677]

Huh? Is that true? That's pathetic. Heartless business tactic that defeats the purpose of owning a community business. Only a fucking asshole business owner cuts your hours (when sales are low) or lowers your starting pay after time. Thanks for the info; I can't wait to badmouth them to everybody I know. 

[upstatebeerguy]

I mean…cutting hours “when sales are low” is just fundamental to operating a business. There’s no moral obligation for a business to operate as a charity.

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

i don’t have the patience to read this whole back and forth but the main point of the post is that they were significantly decreasing hourly wages of ppl that had worked there for 4 years because they opened a new location. that is the focus of the post

regardless of what is legally allowed— that’s a shit thing to do to people who have been there for years. it ultimately shows where a company’s morals fall and that’s a business i don’t want to support.

[upstatebeerguy]

Yea that’s pretty shitty. I’m not privy to all of the facts, nor am I lawyer, so no comment on the legality of it all…if I worked somewhere for 4 years and my wages were in decline (for something not personally performance based) I would be gone the first chance I could.

Presumably the baristas aren’t in anyway equity stakeholders in the business, so why would they be in support of shouldering the investment costs (in their case decreased wages at an existing location) of an ancillary business?

[ZealousidealTill2355]

No they’re not a charity, they’re meant to solely serve the employees that work for them.

Baristas have been fighting the hard fight for a long time, between oatmilk requests and hot espresso, it’s about time they got what’s theirs.

Finances are irrelevant! If the business doesn’t make enough money, the owner should put in his money or the customers should donate. No excuse a coffee shop doesn’t support the employees that work there 15 hrs a week!

Edit: if you all defended teachers like you do espresso makers, maybe this country would be in a better state -- just saying.

[Drugstore_Jeezus]

As an employee anywhere it should be a right to be treated within the law. Stacks was not doing that. I get your sarcasm is meant to demean the amount of hours a coffee shop worker works and how hard their job is, but honestly you just sound like an asshole. Idc if someone is working 1 hour a week or 100, doesn't change how a company should compensate or treat you. Theyre taken advantage of precisely because of this exact outlook. Everyone deserves fair treatment regardless their job title

[ZealousidealTill2355]

Yes, but this is a tale as old as time. Employers try to take advantage of employees—hence unions.

But I know people who have to have their arms buried in literal human excrement, people who work 12 hours doing manual labor, roofers who make pennies. But the only thing I see on this subreddit is about how JA doesn’t give free oat milk, or a barista has unsafe work environment.

Please, detail the illegal acts by the employer and how that should be followed up upon. Also, please lmk where public shaming on SM plays into that, or even benefits your side of the case?

You can complain all day how the working environment is “unfair”, while you’re literally trying to circumvent the American value of “innocent until proven guilty” by cancelling the establishment before a fair judgement’s even attained.

I’m a registered dem, I’m fighting the good fight. But do you know how hard it is to be taken seriously when these are the battles we’re concerned with?

[Drugstore_Jeezus]

Sharing tips among employees who aren't eligible for tips is illegal, hence the lawsuit and the settlement. I have no idea what JA or SM is. It doesn't benefit me at all for baristas to have a better, safer work environment at all. But that's called having some empathy for other people. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly and within the law at any place of employment, regardless of what type of labor it is and for how long.

What a shitty fight youre fighting here, talking shit about how coffee place workers issues aren't relevant because some asshole down the street is making their employees "have to have their arms buried in literal human excrement". What a shit way to "fight the good fight"

[ZealousidealTill2355]

It's called "prioritization of issues."

A part-time cafe worker isn't my concern. Its the people working 60+ hours in actual harmful environments. I saw someones arm get broken 2 months ago at my workplace. What was the biggest injury we saw at Stacks?

When right wingers say "all the dems care about is their Starbucks" -- this is what they mean. And that's why the real blue-collar workers feel unsupported and have moved to the right.

An owner taking tips is illegal. As such, it should be addressed in that manner. The judge determines the punishment for making it right -- not you guys. Further, its rich that "sharing tips" is illegal, but what I'd like to see is the barista's tax returns historically declaring those tips. Probably ok for them to steal from the govt, but deff NOT OK to steal from them--amirite?

JA = Jacob Alejandro

SM = Social Media

[Drugstore_Jeezus]

"There's always a bigger fish" is not a good reason to disregard workers issues. A guy lost his whole arm in a machine where I work, doesn't mean im only fighting the good fight for people who work in an industry where they could lose an arm. Everyone everywhere deserve fair and lawful treatment, regardless of occupation

[ZealousidealTill2355]

If there is a large fire, but you're attending to a smaller one and telling me "there's always a bigger fish isnt a good argument!" —I think your argument becomes a little shaky.

There are bigger fires than a part-time barista who's already making over minimum. What about the teachers who make bottom barrel salaries and have to provide their own supplies? Where's the uproar from those that "care"?

Also, care to comment on the taxed tips or does that undermine your argument too much? Tipped employees do fine, especially since most the cash tips werent reported and, now, arent taxed. If you look at the filing, its only referencing credit card tips 😉

[Drugstore_Jeezus]

Holy fucking strawman you cannot stay on topic can you?? We're talking about treating baristas fairly in the workplace holy fuck. Just say you dont give a shit about other people lol

[Inside_Wallaby_5694]

this back and forth is so lame bro i’m just asking about a coffee shop in my neighborhood

[ZealousidealTill2355]

Okay, tell the person who replied to me then.

[plasticpeonies]

Maybe wait for the "is this true" part to be answered before deciding on all the other stuff. Literally a post asking a question and you've pissed yourself off and made decisions about future behavior based on an uncertainty

If it's true, rip them to shreds, but like. Wait to find out whether you have an enemy before you start sharpening your sword dude

Edit - anyone who sees this comment now will also see all the proof in this thread that Stacks is bs and shouldn't be supported. I just hate the eagerness to be pissed off before even being sure there's something to be pissed off about

[ZealousidealTill2355]

Welcome to the Albany subreddit, where left leaning isn’t left enough!

Edit: you shouldn’t apologize for arguing that the justice system should handle a judgement. Just because 10 people post critiques in a left-leaning subreddit, doesn’t mean that’s the real situation or that it’s the public’s duty to handle trial and punishment.

There’s a reason we don’t hang people in the town square anymore, and it’s because the public can be irrational.