I work at a local coffee shop, The owner bought the business about 20 years ago, and we currently have a staff of 3,myself included. The owner works with 1 barista Monday-Thursday, and then Fri/Sat it's 2 baristas. She intentionally does this to avoid hiring more staff.
I like the position, I love my coworkers, and pay is $12+tips. We're supposed to be getting a raise this year but, doubtful.
Long story short, the owner is struggling with finances which are not due to business, and I have a feeling we're very close to going under. Within the last few months I noticed my tips were MUCH lower than they should be, we've been incredibly busy and I'm making less than I was during our slow season.
We had a market even for the holidays, it was me, another coworker on a double, and the owner. When we got back to the shop the owner was in a rush to get home and had me count out cash+card tips, to note, she ALWAYS does them all herself.
The total for the night was close to $300 for a 4 hour event. I divided the number by 2, since there were 2 employees, and my boss immediately corrected me and said “By 3, there were 3 of us working.” Where I live, it is not legal for business owners to take tips. I didn't really know how to approach that, so I did what she said and let it slide.
However, I've noticed lately, she does this for every single shift. My coworkers and I all work multiple jobs, meanwhile she has a husband who also works full time, they go on “vacation” about every other month, and they collect vintage cars.
I mentioned it to my coworkers, were all PISSED, but none of us know how to approach the situation. Jobs here are incredibly slim, and $12 is on the higher end of pay for similar jobs where we are. That said, we all agree it's unfair and know it's not legal. We're all at a loss for what our options are, especially with it being such a small staff, it doesn't feel like there's a way to go about things discreetly.