Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Restaurant Association want state lawmakers to take action in special session to resolve a dispute over the state’s classification of tipped workers.
Scott Dolch with the Connecticut Restaurant Association says some of his members face lawsuits from their waitstaff because of the lack of clarity. Dolch says tipped restaurant workers have a base pay that’s less than minimum wage, but they make an average of $25 per hour.
“We are trying to make sure that the regulations match our guidelines that the Department of Labor have been providing us for years.”
State Representative Robin Porter, who co-chairs the Labor Committee, is concerned that the negotiated classification doesn’t favor workers.
“Any way you slice it, it is wage theft. Whether you are doing it through tip workers, or whether you are having people work minimum wage and just decide not to pay them.”
Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano says tips are the workers’ main source of income.
“Some of these people work after school to put themselves through college and depend a lot on tips. Tips is where it’s at.”
Fasano hopes lawmakers will stick to the negotiated language and allow the issue to be resolved in a special session.
In July, Lamont vetoed a bill that would have stripped restaurant workers of the right to pursue claims of unpaid wages in certain circumstances. He says that since then, he has held talks with unions, business owners and other stakeholders, and they may have reached a consensus.
The new proposal would limit damages workers could collect from restaurants that relied on inaccurate advice from the state Department of Labor in calculating tip-credit wages.
