I worked at a job in Montana last year and they paid $X/hr with a guaranteed $Y/hr in tips for all employees. I’ve worked in jobs that had guaranteed tip rates before, but typically it worked out where if the tips for a period were below the guarantee, the company would cover the difference, and if it went over we would simply receive whatever the total tips were above the set amount. At this job however, the owner kept all tips above the set rate and used them for “employee services, team building events, and merit based bonuses” at the end of season that no one received. As someone that used our POS system, I know we were tipped more than we received (average tip rate while I was there was 25-30%) I’m just looking for any info on if this was illegal as I think it is, and if so where should I file a complaint?
Thanks all, power to the people