In case you haven’t heard, bartender Steve Grimm of the Pearl District’s Bluehour nearly caught his whole bar on fire last week while he was working with high-proof spirits near an OPEN FLAME (also known as a candle). He suffered the worst for his folly, with first and second degree burns and an overnight stay at the hospital. Naturally this puts him out of commission for a minute and costs a pretty penny—and like the majority of service industry workers, poor Steve must therefore rely on the kindness of others rather than good old-fashioned safety nets like health insurance. Aforementioned “others” include his friends at neighboring bars/restaurants and his very own place of work.
Order a Mariachi at Bluehour through the rest of the month and 100% of proceeds go to patching up Mr. Grimm. Involving a delicious combination of Milagro Blanco tequila, Pernod absinthe, orange flower water, lime, and agave nectar, this drink will make you thank a sorry situation for the excuse to order a second. Across the street,Riffle NW is offering to donate all proceeds from any drink made with Dogwood Distilling’s DL Franklin Vodka as well, and while I haven’t discovered exactly what it is yet, Oven & Shaker will also offer something similarly awesome. So grab a tall cocktail with a little extra ice for those burns, and wish this guy luck in avoiding similarly flaming incidents in the future.
- Brandon Josie
- Riffle NW’s tribute offer
Bluehour is located at 250 NW 13th.
WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT? If this schmuck injured himself while on the job, his medical bills and whatnot should be covered by worker’s comp. Why is there any need for this?
I think you’re probably right that workman’s comp will cover health, but I’m not sure — maybe this is to make up for the days he’ll be out recovering? Lots of service industry workers live paycheck to paycheck, and a few sick (or injured) days can be a major challenge.
@Melgona: Time missed from an on-the job-accident should also be covered by workers comp. This really is a situation where we need more clarification on WHY this is necessary. Otherwise it’s just some dude scamming money from generous people.
This is an open-and-shut workers comp claim, unless they’re not filling a claim for some reason …
The time loss calculations for Worker’s Comp are based on the employee’s base salary, which for most service staff in Portland is at or very near minimum wage. So, unless he had some short-term disability insurance, the compensation from any WC claim will probably be woefully inadequate for covering bills/rent. While he might not have to pay for his medical bills, missing even a few shifts can be devastating financially for a bartender.
@ThatGuy: I’m not super familiar with Oregon law in regards to workers comp, but in many states, the amount paid is based upon the employee’s average weekly renumeration (renumeration includes all forms of income, hourly, salary, tips, gratuities and bonuses). So… If this guy has been declaring his gratuities and bonuses, he should be receiving approximately that much in lost wages when he files his worker’s comp. If he hasn’t been declaring his tips and gratuities, he’s been committing tax fraud and should be able to live off of the undeclared income.
One thing: in a roundabout way, doesn’t this incentivize Bluehour not providing health insurance for their workers?