As a waiter, it is dehumanizing to hear others blame CERB for the staffing shortages in the restaurants. If an industry is bad, why blame low-wage workers?

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Every restaurant worker knows that January through March are the lean months. People with money tend to take vacations and spend less. People with no money usually spent what they can in December on gifts – preparing to save for a few dry months.

During this time, some restaurants are closing and most of the employees are wasting their hours. For the servers, we try to survive on the savings (if we have any) and our meager salary of $ 12.20 an hour.

So when March 2020 arrived, I was hopeful of being employed as a waiter and working at an events company in Toronto when the season was supposed to pick up. As my savings dwindled, I figured I could look forward to a great year of weddings and special events to boost my income.

Then on March 16, 2020, I received the dreaded email. We were in the process of shutting down on what would be the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Watch for the reopening date,” one reads.

I remember sitting in my basement apartment with the fear of not knowing. My partner and I had rented this apartment in hopes of saving enough to have children in the near future. How was I going to pay the rent? Will I be able to track Internet, phone, and credit card payments? Considering my hourly wage, EI would barely cover food. Even then, when will I be approved?

Now, slowly emerging from this pandemic, I still consider myself one of the lucky ones. I work as a waiter with people who respect me as a human being. The kind of people who do their best as employers to improve the restaurant industry. People who understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. They understand that oppressive systems built on stolen land, and by slaves and descendants of slaves, are the system we still live in. They are doing their best to dismantle it.

Not everyone is so lucky. I often talk with friends about how trashy our industry can be. One subject among many that comes up is how many in our profession, waiters, hosts or line cooks are perceived as lazy, good-for-nothing, who abuse society by accepting help from the government.

The other day I saw an opinion piece that basically said that businesses were in ruins because people refused to go back to work because of PKU. From what I understand, these people just want to be able to go to their favorite bars and restaurants, sit happily while they are fed delicious food and drinks while they are served by people like me. Unfortunately, they often forget that those who work in the department are in fact people. Real human beings with needs, wants and wants.

I find it quite funny (and depressing) that people are shocked by the idea that other people want a better life for themselves. Are any of these columnists or clients currently working on duty? Are there any domestic workers who write thoughts on how they secretly like to earn barely enough to pay for their basic needs while having their mind and body destroyed by the work they do? Are there any domestic workers who like customers to brazenly flout COVID-19 security protocols and literally put all of our lives in danger?

And beyond that, are there some people who find it fantastic to try and live in Toronto on $ 2,000 a month – which, oh wait, is temporary?

No one wants to live in poverty. The idea that government assistance available is more than what a company can pay makes you think: are the workers wrong or is the structure open to oppressive and abusive business models? I hear a lot of talk about “this is how it is” or “we are all going to sink if we raise wages”. My answer to that is what happened to the magical bootstraps that every person is born with, why don’t you give them a tug? Not to mention that the government’s financial assistance is the same that we, the restaurant workers, give to the state with every paycheque.

Another frustration is hearing customers complain about the premature closing of places, reduction of menus or anger at the inability to meet their requests to move tables “for the sun”. Some of those people are also the same people who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated. Those who actively ignore the deaths of millions of people but still expect me, and others in my industry, to literally risk our lives to bring them a glass of wine and snacks. The people I work for are very supportive of me, but I have heard firsthand the horror stories of other restaurant workers who are forced to deal with abuse from anti-mask and conspiracy theorists.

Having said that, I still feel lucky. My partner is a baker and has worked throughout the pandemic. With his salary, help from CERB (and later CRB), we have provided shelter and food, but we still have to deal with growing debt. And yet, fear persists because the virus has not been eradicated and much of the precarious work in this industry has not either.

Stop blaming low-wage workers in the service sector for shortages. Obviously, the industry needs to reorganize itself to humanize its workers.

Jaby Dayle is a server and wine professional based in downtown Toronto. You can check out some of his wine tips on instagram @ dpwines.to

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