Where do the tips go?
Tomorrow’s my day for Three over coffee. But I’m off work for a few days for Spring Break (Spring Break! They’re predicting three to eight inches of snow today) and I headed over to Peets for my morning brew. I threw the change into the tip jar.
In California a judge has ruled against Starbucks and awarded present and past baristas over $100 million because they split the tips with the shift managers. The judge found:
Starbucks’ practice was a violation of a state law that prohibits managers and supervisors from sharing in employee tips. Her ruling Thursday on penalties followed her Feb. 28 decision in favor of the baristas in the class-action lawsuit.
I know that shift managers aren’t exactly big-time management. But the lawyers representing the baristas make a good point.
“They were subsidizing Starbucks’ labor costs by helping the company pay its supervisors. This is about getting money back to the lowest-paid employees.”
Starbucks is famously anti-union. They went ballistic when our Logan Square baristas organized a local of the IWW.
