First hour: Should RG&E become a public utility?
Second hour: Holiday tipping etiquette
Next Monday, Metro Justice will host a town hall to discuss turning Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) into a public utility. Rochester City Councilmembers-at-Large will be in attendance. The meeting comes on the heels of the utility's proposed rate hike, and customer complaints about a lack of transparency, billing issues, and more. This is part two in a series of conversations about RG&E* and its impact in the community. Our guests:
- Mohini Sharma, organizing director at Metro Justice
- Michelle Wenderlich, Ph.D., policy specialist and organizer for the Rochester for Energy Democracy (RED) campaign
- Lawanda Shipman, staff member with the Department of Social Services, and member of the Federation of Social Workers
*A spokesperson for RG&E said the company declined to join this conversation, but will consider a future discussion.
Then in our second hour, we discuss the etiquette of tipping with workers from a range of professions that tend to see tipping -- either year-round, or during the holiday season. What is the appropriate tip for a bartender, a barista, or your mail carrier? If wages rely on tips from customers, does that give employers a pass in paying workers fairly? Or is a tip a way of showing gratitude for a high level of service? Our guests discuss it:
- Mitch VanDenBergh, café manager at Fuego Coffee
- Kenny Montgomery, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 210
- Heather Holmquest, professor of music theory at Nazareth College, and private music instructor
- Donny Clutterbuck, beverage director for DMC Management and Cure
- Wendi Loyet, co-owner of Crisp Rochester
