Cheryl Haase, a 52-year-old cocktail waitress, is working with a union to fight for those in the casino waiting profession to be allowed to wear comfortable, non-heeled shoes, according to Mail Online.
Haase has been working as a cocktail waitress at the Foxwoods Resort Casino for over 20 years, her position asked her to wear high-heeled shoes at all times. The cocktail waitress has had several physical problems, caused by the long hours carrying drinks around in heels. She has attended a slew of chiropractors and podiatrists during her time working at the resort, and regularly gets injections to help with inflammation.
Some women have been working at the casino since it was opened in 1992, and believe the proposed policy is being used as a tool to get rid of the older waitresses so that they can bring in new, younger employees.
"Most of us girls have been here for 20 years, 15 years," Haase said. "This job has really done a number on our feet and they know it."
Haase is now representing waitresses with the Local 371 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union to fight Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The union is representing 365 workers at the resort, 200 of which are beverage servers.
The casino has somewhat given in on the recently proposed "two-inch heel" rule. The resort allows the waitresses to wear "polished black shoes" but they must be approved by the managers. Waitresses may also be exempt with a doctor's note, but this will only be good for about a year. If they have not wearing high heels during that time they either have to deal with it or find a new position.
Dr. Eric Levine, a podiatrist in Connecticut, near Foxwoods, claimed he'd seen many patients who were casino waitresses required to wear heels. He has given most of them recommendations to not wear the shoes on a daily basis.
"Several have told me they're not going to stop wearing them. 'The higher the heel, the larger the tip,"' he said.
In 2009, consultants were brought into the casino, they spoke with the cocktail waitresses about the importance of wearing high-heels in order to achieve the look that the casino was going for.
"That's why we got the union in here. They were looking at the older people," casino bartender Janet Cochran said.
The casino has not been doing well financially, Foxwood's revenue has been declining and it is working on a deal to reduce $2.27 billion of debt.
The tightening dress codes are only one of the issues that the unions are looking into. In September there will be a hearing to discuss "differences over wages, health insurance rates and preferential treatment for tribal employees."
Haase's doctor encouraged her to stop wearing heels, but she worries that if the casino got their way she would be walking around in them despite medical issues. The waitress now wears clogs to work.
"After 20 years of being there I can't wear a shoe that's angled like that because my foot is too wide for it," she said.
