In November, Buzzfeed published an article about Zizzi restaurants. It was claimed that managers of the 149-store chain have a policy of “letting waiters foot the bill when customers leave without paying” and detailed how some servers paid up to £100 to cover strikes. But when I contacted the company this week, they told me, “Zizzi confirms that they bear losses like customers who don`t pay – employees aren`t supposed to cover those costs.” If a deduction is to be made, it should be noted that retail workers, which include restaurants, have additional protection against deductions from their wages. Employers often include a provision in a contract that allows them to make a payroll deduction to cover a shortfall in the fund. State guidelines only allow an employer to deduct up to 10% of an employee`s salary in each pay period to cover a shortfall in the fund. The full amount may be deducted, but this may be necessary over a period of several months to avoid conflict with this protection. The content of this page is a summary of the law currently in force and is neither exhaustive nor contains definitive advice. Specialized legal advice should be sought if questions may arise. Lallaw has most of the knowledge that has been exposed here so far.

The only missing piece is the lack of justice that exists. Laws are made to protect and “guide” us, but we are all still subject to the complete failure of the justice system. Poke and poke until you die, sometimes you win and others you will never get what is due to you. I completely deny humanity`s ability to create fairness, it`s just not in our DNA. Choose your battles. For my part, I think the fight is worth it. It should be the company that suffers the loss, just like any other retail industry. Why is food service different? You always deliver a product, you didn`t make it (as a server).

Just as the clothing store “so-and-so” didn`t make the clothes, you just sold them. Why would a restaurant or other food vendor charge an employee for stealing a customer when all other retailers do not? When should the collection attempt be stopped before law enforcement authorities are involved? Is that clear and is it stated in the Treaty? Regardless of the existing laws, he feels downright bad. Since you seem to need corrective information about the state of labor law, even if an employee is in an arbitrary state, his dismissal cannot violate the law. If they have a walkout, demand payment in violation of the law, you fire them and give no reason or reason, YOU CAN STILL FILE A WAGE CLAIM WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OR A DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT WITH THE EEOC. It is considered prima facie evidence that their termination was due to the exercise of a legally protected right. Otherwise, YOU bear the burden of proof. So if the employee files a complaint with the regulator (don`t just call and be lazy expecting the agent to fill out the forms for you), your company will be fined. And it will be much more than the cost of the strike (which, by the way, is tax deductible). In addition, in addition to the fine, the employee is entitled to damages and has the opportunity to get his work back with you.

Dear BW: I liked this piece and I like your side; But come on. Are you really that naïve? Do you really believe that a federal agency will intervene to save the job of a bartender or a waiter? Yes, posting such a sign at work or sending an email saying something like that COULD give you a little legal leg to lean on. In the meantime, you are still fired. What if restaurants think we, the waiters, are responsible for covering a check if the customer decides to skip the bill? It`s happened too many times too many of us and it`s not fair. A reader sent me the photo above of a new restaurant rule and the memo smells of injustice, illegality, bad grammar and spelling mistakes: She says waiters were responsible for up to 10 tables at a time and even had to make their own desserts. A legal code of conduct, to be developed after further consultations with businesses, workers and other stakeholders, will define how tips should be distributed to ensure fairness and transparency. Workers will also have a new right to request information about an employer`s tip record, allowing them to file a claim with the Labour Court.