According to the lawsuit, Bouffard “weaponized the so-called ‘safe space’ and the ‘family’ at Blush & Blu to create a culture of obligation where workers were required to accept mistreatment and brazen underpayment as a ‘service’ to the bar and broader queer community.”īouffard could not immediately be reached for comment. “I put up with mistreatment and underpayment at Blush for years, but I am proud to finally speak out.” “When you’re queer or trans, it can be hard to risk exclusion from queer spaces and the queer community,” Feltner said in a statement. The plaintiffs allege they were routinely paid less than minimum wage and, in 2020, performed work they were never compensated for while Blush & Blu was closed because of the pandemic. When the bar moved to a tip pool model for bartenders and barbacks, the plaintiffs allege there was no predetermined basis for how employees were compensated. After one Pride weekend, the lawsuit alleges, Bouffard tipped out employees based on her subjective impression of how well each person performed.Īdditionally, Bouffard is accused of repeatedly participating in tip share despite her managerial position, using tips for personal use, including to restock the bar with alcohol, and stealing tips. “Plaintiffs observed that on nights Bouffard ‘tipped herself out,’ privately ‘counted tips,’ ‘made change,’ or ‘traded out low value bills,’ they almost always went home with far fewer tips than they earned on nights with a similar customer volume when Bouffard did not engage in these practices,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also alleges that Bouffard discriminated against Savage, who is Black and Haitian-American, because of her race. On at least one occasion, Bouffard accused Savage of “playing the race card,” the lawsuit said.īouffard “persistently made derogatory, racialized comments to or in front of Savage,” such as references to having “jungle fever” when talking about an attraction to Black women, the lawsuit said. The suit also alleges that Bouffard treated Savage with increased scrutiny and discipline compared to white bartenders. According to the filing, Savage was not permitted to play hip-hop music while on shift and was publicly reprimanded when she did not take out the trash - two things she said white bartenders did not experience. Bouffard also did not schedule Savage during Friday night shifts, which are some of the busiest during the week.