I just filled out the Wisconsin Union employee survey designed to determine what to do with all the money from the infamous “black boxes” atop every food service counter at the union. I voted for the two least terrible options — a “Deposit on Wiscard” and “Raising the Minimum Wage” (the union wage is a whole dollar lower than University Housing pay). Or rather, I rated both those options as “Very Interested In,” while putting “Very Uninterested In” next to the other options of “Employee BBQ/Party,” “A Trip to Wisconsin Dells,” and perhaps most comical, “A Small Gift (mug/t-shirt).” For those of you who don’t work at the union, these kind offers of day trips and burgers do not come from the charitable benevolence of the Union administration, rather, they come straight from the pockets of the increasingly demoralized employees. After the embarassing scandal at the Rathskeller the union decided to fully enforce a “no-tip” policy, a decision that no doubt infuriated and impoverished many student and non-student employees alike. Employees are now forbidden from making more than the $7 and change an hour because of a few employees who took advantage of their positions. To prevent generous customers pleased with the service they’ve received from showing their gratitude to their servers, the union has placed black locked boxes with coin slots next to cash registers to trick patrons into giving their money to a supervised pizza party instead of an individual’s well-deserved tuition/beer fund. The Union is the central attraction for out-of-towners in Madison, and it’s host to thousands of customers who can afford to tip and want to. The terrace is essentially the most popular bar in Madison — the majority of customers are not students looking to trade a tip for a free beer, but non-students who look to tip their servers the same way they would anywhere else. That the Union has rashly done away with what is standard practice in American service sector is a cynical move that will ultimately prove harmful for worker morale, customer satisfaction, and eventually the union revenue.