On August 23, 2024, in Restaurant Law Center v. U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the U.S. Department of Labor’s so-called “80/20/30 Rule” that governed how tipped employees...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL” or “the Department”) is proposing to delay and revise portions of the Trump administration regulations related to tipped employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA” or “the Act”). ...more
On January 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor issued two opinion letters addressing tip-related issues. The first, FLSA2021-4, addresses whether, and in what circumstances, a restaurant that takes a tip credit for its...more
1/20/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Over a year after Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to clarify tip ownership questions, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finally published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on October 8, 2019, with proposed...more
10/9/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Field Assistance Bulletins ,
Minimum Wage ,
NPRM ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has issued three sets of proposed regulations that significantly impact the Hospitality industry. ...more
4/26/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Joint Employers ,
Minimum Wage ,
NPRM ,
Over-Time ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Rate of Pay ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Many years ago, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance known as the "20% Rule" or "80/20 Rule," which provides that, where tipped employees spend in excess of 20% of their workweek on non-tip-earning tasks, no tip...more
On March 27, 2018, President Donald Trump signed into law Congress’s $1.3 trillion, 2,232-page omnibus budget bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018. ...more
4/12/2018
/ Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule to rescind the Department’s position that employers must comply with tip-pooling requirements even when paying the full minimum wage. ...more
12/6/2017
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Franchises ,
Minimum Wage ,
NPRM ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a proposed rule to rescind the Department’s position that employers must comply with tip-pooling requirements even when paying the full minimum wage. ...more
12/5/2017
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Franchises ,
Minimum Wage ,
NPRM ,
Public Comment ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Wage and Hour
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published the final rule revising the “white collar” overtime exemption regulations on May 18, 2016. This publication was the result of a process that began in March 2014 when President...more