Image Source: billboard.com
Ever since its commencement on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, United States, Taylor Swift‘s epic Eras Tour has been making the headlines and it can be described as “eventful” at the very least. However, on the eve of concluding the US leg of her tour, Taylor once again proved her generosity and her recognition for hard work when she left her crew members with a hefty bonus. This included all those individuals who were responsible for doing all the heavy lifting on the road with her, including the truck drivers for the tour. The bonuses have totaled a sum of $55 million, leaving the workers “stunned” and full of gratitude.
There were two companies responsible for transporting Swift’s Tour equipment, which included the stage, lights, guitars, microphones, speakers, and others: Upstaging Inc. and Shomotion LLC. Each driver had been paid a sum of $100,000, and bonuses were also handed out to those involved in catering, backup dancing, video, audio, and lighting. The founder and CEO of the Denver, Colorado-based trucking company Shomotion, Michael Scherkenbach spoke out about the impact that Taylor’s gesture has had on the workers. He said, “My company handles the transportation of the stage and structure, pretty much the skeleton that everything hangs on at the concert venue. These men and women, they live on the road. They sleep during the day and work all night. It’s a grueling task. They leave their families and young children for weeks. For Taylor’s tour, they’ve been away from home for 24 weeks.”
He confessed that the amount paid by Taylor exceeds the amount doled out in standard expected bonuses and said, “The typical amount is $5,000 to $10,000 each. So this large amount is unbelievable,” and added that, “To receive $100,000 is a down payment on a house or college tuition for a child. Look, a fair wage doesn’t put you in a position to buy a home. But this opens up that possibility.”
Opening up about the incident, Scherkenbach said his drivers were called in before the concert for what they believed to be a routine production meeting before a concert. But they were in for a surprise when Swift’s father, Scott Swift, showed up on Monday when they were going over a rundown for the L.A. concerts at SoFi Stadium. Scherkenbach said, “Taylor’s family is always present and kind to our drivers but Scott generally doesn’t lead the meeting. Scott gave a speech saying that he had discussed this with Taylor and they thought that it was only right that everybody received a bonus. Taylor insisted on writing a handwritten note to each driver and [added] a wax seal on the envelope with her monogram. It’s incredible that they would take that time, and what it means to our staff to be recognized.”
Each envelope also stated the bonus that each was to receive. Scherkenbach added, “The funny part is, they just glanced at the letter quickly and didn’t look at the amount, so one driver read it as $1,000, another driver read it as $10,000. And then another driver said, ‘Oh, this has to be a joke. $100,000?’ which then made the other ones reopen their letters,” Along with the letters, the envelopes also contained the cheques and corresponding tax documents.
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