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Found out my first job paid me below minimum wage legally
I was working at a small diner in Austin last summer, making $8.50 an hour cash. Looked up the rules after I quit and found out tipped employees only need $2.13 an hour federally if they make enough tips. My boss never told me that or made up the difference when tips were slow. Anyone else get tricked by a loophole like that?
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jamie8042mo ago
Ugh, that is SO messed up! My buddy worked at a BBQ joint in San Antonio and they did the EXACT same thing to him. He’d have a dead shift with like 10 bucks in tips all night and still only got that crappy 2.13 an hour, no make-up pay. He only found out about the rule when he got a new job and mentioned it, and his new manager was like, “No, that’s illegal if you don’t actually hit minimum wage.” It’s garbage that places just rely on people not knowing the rules.
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cooper.drew2mo ago
Is it possible those owners just didn't know the law themselves? I've met a lot of small restaurant folks who run things the way they've always done it, not out of malice but just being behind on the rules.
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