As part of a lawsuit, several Taylor County exotic dancers have filed court documents to support a claim that they should be classified as employees entitled to hourly wages and overtime pay at Jaguars Gold Club. Currently, dancers are considered independent contractors. Club operators have countered some of the women’s claims, however.
Income
Dancers say*: All income based solely on tips. But ability to make money “largely influenced” by length of time called to dance on stage. Company decisions on ATM placement and credit card purchases also influence income potential.
Jaguars says**: No dispute about tips being source of income for dancers. But “the only variables that truly decided income were the skill, the industry and the attitude of the performer.”
Hours
Dancers say: Must work four days a week; regularly worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, with usual day about 12 hours. Work mandatory on some days, such as “Super Tuesdays” promotion.
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Diana Range
Owner, Pam’s Resale Boutique
Address: 4209 S. Alameda St.
Company description: Pam’s is an upscale consignment/resale store. Pam’s is the “go-to” place for quality and designer apparel and accessories at affordable prices.
Hometown: Corpus Christi
Years in business: 11 years
Tenure in position: 7 years
Education: I graduated from Ray High School in 1966. I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1970. I earned a master’s in education, early childhood from Stephen F. Austin in 1974.
First job: My parents wanted me to concentrate on school, so my first job was as a first-grade teacher in 1970.
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The highly-anticipated grand opening of Apple’s fifth Manhattan retail location attracted thousands 
At 10 am Friday morning, Apple opened the doors of its latest retail hub—a store in New York’s Grand Central Terminal.
Several thousand people showed up for the opening, many of whom lined up set up camp as early as a day before. We didn’t expect anything less for the event, as it seems that avid Apple fans would line up for the opening of an Apple-manufactured envelope.
The company promised free t-shirts to the first 4,000 visitors. According to Apple PR, it only took a little over two hours for those 4,000 people to pass through the doors.
See Related Stories from Business Review USA:
Apple Sees Record-Breaking Black Friday Sales
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Apple Loses iPhone Prototypes for the Second Time
The Grand Central spot is Apple’s fifth in Manhattan and will become the company’s New York flagship location. Measuring u
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One fact about business (and life): Dealing with people can be like swimming in murky waters. You just don’t know how people will respond to your comments. Murky rapidly becomes mysterious in business, because professionalism at times masks deeper personal expressions. Theres a reason those funny asides on The Office don’t happen in public.
Full Engagement: Inspire, Motivate, and Bring Out the Best in Your People attempts to make the murky ocean of human behavior more clear. It’s an honest business book written by Brian Tracy, a renowned speaker and business consultant. I was sent a copy by the publisher, and decided to give it a read.
As a Manager, Your Emotions Towards People Affect Their Motivation
That tenet is at the heart of the book, as Tracy explains in the introduction:
“The way you treat people, what you say and do that affects them emotionally, is more important in bringing out the best in people than all the education, intelligence or experience you might have at doing your job.”
The book is organized into nine chapters, all emphasizing a positive, people-centric outlook. But it’s far
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A Vinton television and appliance store is calling it quits after 40 years.
Ward’s Home Appliance Center owner Linda Waybright said she’s ready to retire, and the weak economy has only encouraged her decision to close the Bypass Road store. Waybright, 68, took over the store in 2008 after founder Robert Ward died.
She talked to a few people about selling the business but said no one was interested.
The store has been losing money since the recession started, Waybright said. And competition with big-box stores is stiff, she said.
The store will close when all the inventory has been sold.