A.M. ATL: Waffle House raising its pay — and prices
Morning, y’all! Temperatures will eclipse 90 degrees today, as a Code Orange air quality alert remains in effect. Stay inside if you’re young, old or have health issues.
Today’s newsletter takes a look at an NBA legend’s local connections, underwater wreckage from a long-ago plane crash and new details connecting Tuesday’s violent series of events in downtown Atlanta.
- Also of interest: Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade had a bit of an odd interview on CNN last night.
Now. Let’s discuss what newly announced pay raises mean for Waffle House workers — and your future tab.
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TIPS STILL ENCOURAGED
The organizing efforts? Scattered.
Some of the demands? Smothered.
But in the end, Waffle House workers are getting covered — with higher pay.
CEO Joe Rogers III announced the raises in a video sent to employees, calling the new base pay of at least $5.25 an hour the company’s “single largest additional investment” in its workforce. That goes all the way back to its founding in Avondale Estates 68 years ago.
- The increases (which include additional bumps based on seniority and shift) will phase in nationwide over the next two years.
Katie Giede, an employee at a Waffle House in Conyers, told the AJC she currently makes a base pay of $2.92. Anything more is good.
“Most of the people that work at Waffle Houses are single mothers and grandmothers — you know, people that are in the same situation as I am, trying to make end’s meet from week to week or even day to day,” she said. “Even if they’re closer to a livable wage, it’s a definite help.”
- A little context: The announcement comes after a year of strikes, petitions and other public pressure campaigns led by the Union of Southern Service Workers. (Waffle House workers aren’t unionized but used some familiar organizing tactics. Read more about that here.)
So. Why does all this matter to you? Well, here’s the rub: Waffle House says it’s passing the cost of raises for its 20,000 or so workers onto its customers.
The details are sparse thus far. But expect the price of your All-Star Special (and, you know, other menu items) to start climbing.
Keep scrolling for more news — and to vote in our poll on which Waffle House menu items are worth paying more for.
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WITNESS TURNED SUSPECT
Details continue trickling out about downtown Atlanta’s chaotic Tuesday afternoon, which Mayor Andre Dickens attributed in part to mental health.
- Joseph Grier, the 39-year-old man accused of hijacking a Gwinnett County transit bus, was at the scene of the nearby shooting at Peachtree Center. He actually spoke to an AJC reporter, saying “I was scared, because I didn’t have a gun.”
- Police say Grier later took a gun from a bus passenger and used it to kill someone on board.
- That victim was 58-year-old Ernest Byrd Jr., a father to seven grown children and a natural “protector,” family members said.
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MORE CRIME AND COURTS
» A judge sentenced former Doraville police officer Miles Bryant to life without parole in the murder of 16-year-old Susana Morales.
» Rapper Young Thug’s attorney won’t have to report to jail this weekend after all.
» Federal authorities say an Arizona man planned a mass shooting at a recent Bad Bunny concert in Atlanta in hopes of sparking a “race war.”
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RENT AND RAIDS
The AJC’s Matt Reynolds took a closer look at what the FBI’s raid at Atlanta-based Cortland Management means for rising rents and antitrust allegations against dozens of corporate landlords.
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UNDERWATER DISCOVERY
Fifty-three years ago, a plane carrying three employees of Atlanta development firm Cousins Properties crashed into a Vermont lake, killing all on board. Experts believe they recently found the wreckage.
- “The tragic plane accident was a very sad time for the Cousins organization,” the company told the AJC. “We lost dear friends and colleagues. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”
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NO BAPTIST BAN
In a somewhat surprising result, Southern Baptists failed to pass a formal ban on women in pastoral roles. They did, however, vote to oppose in vitro fertilization.
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ALMOST AN ATLANTAN
Legendary NBA player and executive Jerry West died Wednesday at age 86. Former Hawks general managers Pete Babcock and Rick Sund reflected on being mentored by the icon — and the time he nearly joined Atlanta’s front office.
“All I know is that no one would agree to give a blank check,” Babcock said. “I kept arguing we have a chance to get Jerry West. You can’t measure that. You can’t value that.”
» AJC mock draft: Here’s who we think the Hawks will select with No. 1 pick
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MORE SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
- Matt Olson’s two-run homer tied it late but the Orioles responded, handing the Braves a 4-2 loss. Atlanta will try and snap its five-game losing streak in this afternoon’s series finale (1:05 pm on Bally Sports South).
- The Atlanta Dream take on Caitlin Clark and the Fever tonight in Indianapolis (7 p.m. on PeachtreeTV).
- The U.S. Open starts today in North Carolina. Georgia Tech golfer Hiroshi Tai, fresh off an individual NCAA title, is part of the field.
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LOOK FORWARD TO FUN
» When Athens’ new Classic City Arena opens later this year, it’ll include Georgia music history exhibits covering everything from Otis Redding to R.E.M. and Outkast.
» Coming soon to downtown Decatur: a 1920s-inspired speakeasy with bowling and a full-service restaurant.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Gwinnett superintendent not leaving for APS
» Southern Company Gas moving Atlanta HQ
» Roswell police investigating officer’s ‘inappropriate remarks’
» The Bert Show’s Bert Weiss solicits dates for ex-wife Stacey on air
» UGA study finds Black children can internalize racism, fueling anxiety
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ON THIS DATE
June 13, 1984
I apologize for this first thing in the morning, but it’s too bonkers to ignore.
Forty years ago, a maintenance worker with the Atlanta parks department told reporters he regularly purchased rabbits on display at Zoo Atlanta and took them home ... to eat them. “Pigs, ducks, chickens and other animals from the zoo’s children’s exhibit,” too.
The zoo curator allegedly involved in the practice declined to confirm. But another official recalled seeing checks — and said the money went back into the city’s coffers.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer John Spink captured planes taking off at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as smog obscured the Atlanta skyline.
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About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
