[ashelmire]

As a former service worker, I'd argue that cutting employee hours was exactly the goal.

Typically, in a restaurant in Philly or places with similarly lower-than-minimum service wages (which still has the $2.75 or whatever minimum for service workers), you'll be scheduled excessively for hours when the restaurant definitely isn't going to have any business. For example, coming in at 330/4 to start prep for the dinner shift.

When labor costs basically nothing, there's no reason not to overschedule them.

This reduced the amount of time I could spend outside of work learning to program (for example... since it's what I did hah) or others could spend improving their skills for basically no money. It's a huge detriment to the employees. You'd stand around cleaning for some nitpicky manager making 0/hour effectively, doing untipped cleaning and prep work. Your paychecks will be $0 if you get even a modest amount of tips for the night (it's all taxed).

Now restaurants will be more particular about how they schedule employees, and the untipped work actually costs money to have done (if a janitor would have to be paid minimum+ to do it, why should a server do it for $2.75/hr)?

[wil421]

In my 6+ years in the restaurant industry I’ve never had a manager or owner who didn’t care about over staffing. They were always focused on reducing hours and making sure the opener/closers had enough tables to make it worth it.

I worked in some of the largest (non fast food) groups to single owner restaurants.

[SkyBelow]

I thought the law was hour by hour. So if you get no tips for an hour, you are owed minimum wage for that hour. Actually getting employers to pay up is a whole other battle, but in that case what is needed is enforcement of existing laws.

[koolba]

Over what time period is the min wage averaged out? The entire day or is it split per hour?

[wil421]

Look at it this way. If tips + $2.13 an hour < minimum wage for the hours you worked then your pay check will have whatever amount will get you to minimum wage. I believe it’s per pay period. If you’re in a 2$ an hour state and getting money in your paycheck it’s time to find a new restaurant.

[koolba]

So if I get a $1000 tip five minutes into the shift it applies for the next two weeks?

[wil421]

IIRC, whatever the pay period is. I would need to ask an old manager if the week or pay period matters. Could be per week.

It’s so rare in the $2 an hour states. I worked at Chili’s during the worst parts of the recession and never made a paycheck. Once the economy picked up I went to greener pastures.