Did you know that employers with gross earnings of $250,000 or less can use tips to offset the minimum wage requirement?  The required Federal signage that must be posted in the workplace actually shows an example of how the wages can be calculated.  It shows total wages earned and collected tips.  In the example, the tips are half of the wages earned.  It shows the wages earned as half and the tips taking up the other half of the total equalling the full minimum wage required earnings at the going rate.  It states that at no time is less than the minimum wage to be paid to the employee.   HERE'S THE JOKE:   Employers are only paying half the minimum wage amount to their employees when they claim employees are able to collect tips.  This is what I mean...if the minimum wage is, let's say for the sake of figuring, $6.00 an hour and I work 40 hours a week, that equals $240.00 a wk or $960.00.
Instead, my employer does this:  Pays me $3.00 an hour to equal $480.00.  Employers then claim the tips, which are normally not what was actually earned but totally hypthetical in nature (real hard to pay family needs with).  Let's say they quote tips of $300.00 a wk.  This totals $1200.00 and I would be issued a net check after taxes for 0.00.  Let's say they quote tips of $300.00 a month for an example.  They take the $480.00 deduct the $300.00 tips, deduct taxes and still issue a check for 0.00 net.  Democrats want to raise the minimum wage.  So who get's the $$$?  If one calls your state employment commission one is told, "We know this is going on, but there is nothing we can do about it.  It is FEDERAL LAW that is being broken, and until the FEDERAL GOVT does something about it nothing will change.  In the example I gave the employee earned $960.00 for the month and received actual tips for the month of, let's say, $200.00 @$50.00 wkly for total taxable earnings of $1160.00.  Less taxes of, let's say for the sake of figuring only, $160.00 that leaves a net of  $1000.00.  According to the law, the employer can offset the $1000.00 by the $200.00 to that leaves $800.00 due the employee...and the employer actually paid them 0.00.  The next time you go to a restaurant, count the number of tables, and the number of sitting customers.  Figure an average of $6.00 a plate ordered (we are being generous) and figure operating hours at 8.  Multiply daily gross earnings for your restaurant.  We will use a total seating of 15 spots and a total daily gross of $720.00 a day. Now calculate for the year (using being open 7 days a wk for 360 days a yr, allowing slow days to offset busy ones) one would earn a gross annual of over $259,000. 00 and would be ineligible to use the offset.  One can easily see that this law was made for small mom&pop establishments.  However you will discover huge chains with huge earnings still ripping off their employees nationwide and no one is doing anything about it.  Even DEMOCRATS that want to INCREASE the MINIMUM WAGE to "help the poor".  My suggestion to you is this:  if you are one of the ripped off losing wages to your employer, contact the FBI, give them your employers name and a copy of your wage statement.