Dunlop 1

Decker Dunlop
English 105
Dr. Watrous
22 September 2015
The Cashiers Manifesto
It was midnight. Homework was complete and my day was at an end. But as I prepared to rest, I
made one fatal mistake. I checked my phone.
And there it was, the brusque text from my boss that ended with
We need to talk.
The proverbial punch to the gut had never felt so real. My mind was consumed by the sort of fear
that is clearly excessive but impossible to tamp down. I remained on autopilot as I went through
the motions, commuting and attending class. The upcoming Conversation weighed on my chest
like a sack of stones.
In anticipation of the Conversation, I racked my brains to think of what I could have done wrong.
Was it because I talked back to the manager that one time? Did they find out that I had
overcharged a customer by 3 dollars? Or did it have something to do with the fact that employees
I am friendly with inevitably leave the workplace? I just could not be sure.
My worst fears were realized when the moment came. As I sat by the kitchen door under the hot
sun, I was told that my part time position was no longer available. Either I come back full time or
leave altogether. My hands seized and tears built up unwelcome. For years I had kept my head
down and done everything I could to be the model employee. For years I had watched as
management had abused my fellow employees and me. In the end, my ability to sit back and take
years of this mistreatment was for nothing.

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I have always quietly observed as injustice has occurred in my life. Whether my mother was
denigrating my sister, or teachers and classmates put queer existence on the chopping block.
Darcy, you brat. You are just like my ex-husband.
Homosexuality is unnatural.
Why would you want to wear a tuxedo? Besides, its a slippery slope. Whats next, the boys in
dresses?
I have kept my head down and avoided all possible confrontation for fear of the personal
consequences. Looking back, I long for my younger self to have had the courage to push back.
Sweating under the hot sun, I realized my passivity is not only the product of past abuse, but a
template for future mistreatment. When I have put my head down it has not only affected myself,
but those around me. My sister and I have grown up with warped senses of family, of self-worth.
At high school acceptance of queer existence came long after my departure. And at work, my
attempt to take everything thrown my way was meaningless. My fellow employees continue to
work in an environment where they will be subject to the rages of the executive chefs. The
whims of the owner dictate unrealistic expectations that follow long after coworkers and I leave.
Some have faced blacklisting from other restaurants in the industry, others the emotional
consequences of working in an abusive environment. My fear of being given a bad reference or
of being blacklisted follows me as I search for employment. Our daily norm has been to carefully
assess the mood of the two head chefs and the owner. Perhaps our performance will be
insufficient and equipment will be broken as their rage becomes manifest. Perhaps we will be
subject to rants regarding our lack of loyalty and commitment. As time went on, I watched the
lines grow in the faces of line cooks and front of house managers.

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I came to realize that our employer had us all in the throes of an abusive relationship. Fear of
what would come if we left the restaurant kept us trapped in our positions, and the constant need
to tip toe around the whims of the ownership kept us in line. We are never told that workplaces
can model abusive relationships. We are never given the words to describe the fundamental
injustice that we experience. Becoming sufficiently comfortable with identifying the toxicity of
my former workplace as emotional and verbal abuse was powerful. Suddenly I had the language
to identify the systemic belittlement and instability that we faced.
As I have commiserated with other restaurant workers, a theme has emerged. Particularly in
small businesses, we have all experienced mistreatment and toxicity in our workplaces. Without
the protection of corporate guidelines, our work experiences are dependent on the ability of
management to protect us from each other and from higher ups.
One worker at a local Caf recalled having wages withheld over a period of months, as well as
being humiliated by overt racism practiced by the owner.
You cant celebrate Martin Luther King Day, you were born in Brazil.
Another was told to clock out and made to work without pay as punishment.
I messed, I really messed up. So my boss wanted to make sure the lesson stuck.
A third recounted being terrorized by a manager.
He would scream at us for mistakes and even on occasion would slap or throw drinks at
coworkers. Nothing could be done, all of my coworkers were terrified of the consequences of
speaking up.

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This mistreatment goes far beyond a few unscrupulous charlatans in the restaurant business. It is
pervasive and widespread, an issue unknown to those who merely patronize these local
restaurants. Reform must happen on a collective scale.
I identified more strongly with Marxs ideology than ever before. There is little that I can do as
an individual to change the toxicity of my former workplace. There is even less that I can do on
my own for workers throughout the service industry. Profit driven capitalist norms have given
little recourse for service workers. These ideals run rampant in the service industry, where small
businesses flourish on Arizonas At Will employment laws. There is little organization and
zero recourse for workers who have been wronged by the environmental and emotional toxicity
prevalent. Change will come through the collective consciousness of myself and all other
workers in the service industry.
Marx was right. So long as we laborers exist in a capitalist system, we will continually have to
push back against the profit driven ideals of the economic ruling class. The battle is never won.
The gains workers make must continue to evolve as expectations and environments do. At times,
our gains are demolished as the economic rulers eradicate regulation in an attempt to grow
profits. The push and pull between laborers and the ruling class will never end without the
extraction of capitalism. In the meantime, we must band together to advocate for one another. We
must erect new regulations as technology affects the expectations of production. We must find
recourse as state law erodes protections for workers. We must recognize that emotional abuse
runs rampant with little checks upon it.
There are always those that will argue for the meritocracy, and the mobility afforded to those
who simply work hard enough. However, employers will always have one primary goal: to
increase profit margins. This affects not only wages but also the environment in which we spend

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hours upon hours each week. The majority of employers will be reticent to changes that require
effort and cost on their behalf.
Our humanity becomes intrinsically tied to our labor and the profits produced from our labor.
This is an unacceptable state for the workers of all industries. We are more than our labor, and
we deserve to work in environments that recognize and honor our humanity.
I no longer wish to stand by as injustice is wreaked upon those around me. This attempt at selfprotection is short sighted and ineffective. As an individual, my reach is limited, but if I come
together with workers throughout the service industry our reach will have greater impact, both in
fighting the dehumanization inherent in capitalism and in encouraging workplaces to eradicate
toxic practices.