I work at a cafe in Vermont. From January until last week, I was paid under minimum wage and received tips. About 1/3 of the total card tips are distributed to the bakers who don't serve customers, however, my boss won't tell me exactly how tips are distributed. This seems illegal for 2 reasons:
1. In VT, tip pooling is only legal if tipped employees receive over minimum wage
2. I think that in VT, tip pooling is only valid if the employer “notifies tipped employees of any required tip pool contribution amount” (INFORMATION ON TIPPED AND SERVICED EMPLOYEES, VT DoL).
I'm not sure if I'm understanding the situation correctly, and I don't know what to do about it. Does anyone have any advice?