(Newser)
– New changes to the Department of Labor’s rules are called the “end-of-year victory” for the restaurant industry, according to the National Restaurant Association – although servers that rely on tips to raise sub-minimum wages may not offer them a Bravo enthusiasm. Fox Business reports a final review by DOL on Tuesday, which now offers employers the opportunity to mandate a “type pool,” in which tipping workers, such as waiters and bartenders, must hand over some of their tips. workers who did not receive a tip, including dishwashers and cooks. Proponents of the rule change, which will take effect in February and vary by state, say it will help even out the pay gap between those employees who work upstairs for advice and those who don’t, putting an additional $ 109 million in the pockets of the workers behind the house, according to DOL estimates.
Restaurant Business Online notes that due to this current salary gap, it can be difficult to find help behind the house. However, servers may mutter when they have to share their advice, and another change in the Department of Labor will not make them happier: according to CBS News, a past time limit that employees could spend l spend doing unskilled work, such as set up or cleaning, has been removed. Heidi Shierholz, policy director at the Institute for Nonprofit Economic Policy, says this could lead to big savings for restaurants, as servers are usually paid much less than workers who typically perform those tasks that were not exceeded – but Confident workers could lose up to $ 700 million on because of this rule change, according to EPI estimates last year. “Don’t solve the lowest wages of the lowest paid workers by taking them out of the wages of the second lowest paid worker,” Shierholz told CBS. – You pay them more. (Read more typing stories.)