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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/TrashedLeBlanc on 2025-07-20 06:01:26+00:00.

I’m actually excited to be able to contribute here for once. This is currently taking place in a casino in a province in Canada I work at and it is a bit multi faceted so I will apologize for the long read and there is a TLDR at the end

To start, we’re technically government employees. Don’t ask me why, but we’re also union. Ya, I am a literal bartender in a restaurant where everyone is a unionized government employee…you can see where this is probably going or what kind of environment this has engendered.

So first off employees. There are 3 FT bartenders. As a person who has bartended or managed bars off and on for decades and we actually get hosed. Like I have never made so little money working in the service industry; but we have a pension and benefits and that’s pretty choice.

We consistently work our asses off while we watch our floor counting their hundreds of dollars at the end of a shift while we only make what happens directly at our bar. The servers are mandated to tip out 2% of drink sales ONLY. Regularly they ignorantly throw dimes across the table at us and make comments about “oh it was only 50 cents but I rounded up to a dollar because you earned it”

Yes, comments like this happen on the regular. The rub is because of the CBA with the union bartenders are not allowed to serve tables and the servers consistently remind us of this. Here is where it gets bad. They expect the bartenders to also run their food, clean and clear their tables and still only tip to the literal penny.

This is one aspect

Now, as for management. We have numerous times had conversations with management as our servers constantly abandon their tables. Go outside to smoke. Hang out on their phones and generally do the barest of minimums. But because they are not on the floor we HAVE to be. We are mandated and guaranteed 15 minute breaks twice a shift and one 30 minute which we never get. This is without mentioning once that management refuses to hire any new bartenders due to “budgetary constraints”

We’ve spoken to management numerous times and all we get told is that “the servers have the floor” and that we can “file a grievance” with the union.

Cue malicious compliance (and it’s gooooood)

So myself and the other 2 bartenders sat down with our union reps and hammered out the EXACT parameters of our jobs, managements duties and obligations and that of our floor. We got everything highlighted and we now have laminated card stock behind the bar with the printed and highlighted aspects of our jobs, our job parameters and our job guarantees.

A few weeks ago we 3 started every shift the same way. Servers, would regularly just walk behind the bar to get drinks for themselves or their clients. Sorry, you’re not bartenders you can’t come behind the bar. What! Ya sorry, it’s in the CBA, we can’t take tables you can’t server drinks, we’ll get to it as soon as we can. Servers now have to wait on us to pour their drinks, pop; water, beer or even get them ice. That’s step one.

We now officially take our 15s and our 30 minute breaks. As such, any and ALL drink service stops. Here is the best part; as such management; who is otherwise completely useless. Chatting with friends or hiding in their offices now have no choice but to come down and man the bar while we do so. They have to make drinks, stock the bar (which we ensure is needing to be done) and put away, polish our glassware. This is important as we have very specific criteria for our house drinks and what type of vessels they get poured in. This has been amusing to watch but we enjoy our breaks and I am catching up on some reading.

It’s only been a few weeks but the servers seem to be getting it and all of a sudden there are 2 new bartenders in training on the schedule and 2 more apparently being hired. Maybe this malicious compliance stuff does work

TLDR: Serving staff treats the bar terribly. Management is lazy and ineffective. Bartenders got walked on and paid a pittance while working harder than anyone else. MC was to adhere strictly to the union guidelines afer the servers kept throwing them in the face of the bartenders forcing management and servers to actually work harder and stop floating.