Thank you to Benjamin Lambiotte, technology and transportation attorney at Garvey Schubert Barer, for providing our readers with the latest and greatest on mobile payment technology and its uses in the travel and tourism industry. - Greg
Jared Van Kirk is a member of Garvey Schubert Barer’s Labor and Employment group and previous blog contributor. Jared has been following City Council discussions surrounding the newly enacted Job Assistance Bill for some time. Thank you, Jared, for this timely and very important update for all hospitality industry employers in Seattle. – Greg
Tip Pooling Update
Catch up on Joy's previous tip pooling update here and continue reading for the latest ruling.
On June 7, 2013, a federal judge in Oregon ruled that the Department of Labor went beyond its authority when it issued regulations in 2011 prohibiting the use of tips by an employer even when the employer does not take a tip credit. Judge Michael Mosman held that Congress had intended to impose conditions on employers that take a tip credit but did not intend to impose a freestanding requirement pertaining to all tipped employees. Consequently, the 2011 tip pooling regulations are not valid in the Ninth Circuit. The decision may be appealed, so employers aren't out of the woods yet, but for now this is a big win for the restaurant industry.
About the Editor
Greg Duff founded and chairs Foster Garvey’s national Hospitality, Travel & Tourism group. His practice largely focuses on operations-oriented matters faced by hospitality industry members, including sales and marketing, distribution and e-commerce, procurement and technology. Greg also serves as counsel and legal advisor to many of the hospitality industry’s associations and trade groups, including AH&LA, HFTP and HSMAI.