Trump’s labor department is planning to make tips employers’ property – a huge transfer of money from workers to owners
When most people leave a tip at a restaurant, they assume it will go to the person who served them their meal. For decades, that assumption was correct. But the Trump administration wants to change that.
Going against longstanding practice codified in a 2011 rule, the labor department, led by Trump appointee Alexander Acosta, has proposed a radical change that will allow restaurant owners to pocket the tips customers leave for the wait staff. It’s a huge giveaway to corporate special interests – this time the National Restaurant Association – at the expense of millions of workers. Compounding it all, the Acosta labor department did so by defying basic procedures of the regulatory process designed to ensure transparency.
Related: Alexander Acosta: Trump pick for labor secretary is Muslim-defending Hispanic
Workers are likely to lose about $5.8bn in tips each year under the rule
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