Massachusetts IHOP owner fined $100K for forcing staff to pay when patrons walked out on the check

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/11/massachusetts-ihop-owner-fined-100k-for-forcing-staff-to-pay-when-patrons-walked-out-on-the-check/



Massachusetts IHOP owner fined $100K for forcing staff to pay when patrons walked out on the check
By George Chidi
Saturday, January 11, 2014 17:13 EST

The owner of an IHOP in West Springfield, Mass., will pay $100,000 to settle charges of abusing labor law, including billing waitstaff for breaks they didn’t take and meals they didn’t eat, and forcing them to pay for the meals of diners who skipped out on the check.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced the settlement with Robert Max Evans and RME Enterprises Friday.

Coakley noted that wait staff were required to pay from their tips the full meal costs of customers who left without paying their bills, were required to share their tips with non-wait staff, and were required to pay from their wages the full meal costs of any meals for which a mistake was alleged to have been made. Employees were also required to pay from their wages for broken dishware, and were subject to meal deductions from their wages when no meals were eaten.

“Consent was not given generally,” for the wage deductions, Coakley said in the release. “Employees’ work time, and thus wages, were ‘shaved’ to account for alleged meal break time, when meal breaks were not taken generally and at times when employees specifically and affirmatively noted they took no break.”

[FarPoint]

1. This is what happens when Union Busters win....

The chronic degrading of all workplaces.

[Enthusiast]

2. Absolutely correct!

[leftyohiolib]

8. people need to stop being afraid to fight

[Not Sure]

3. This prick sounds like a slumlord version of a restaurant owner

I feel for the people who had to work for this asshole. I'm sure most of them don't feel like they are in a position to be picky about their working conditions. And assholes like Evans take advantage of that fact.

Long ago I waited tables at an IHOP outside Atlanta. I never had to put up with tipshare, but I did have a meal deduction. I was going to school full time, so I worked almost exclusively on third shift. I saw a lot of interesting characters come through those doors at those hours. I remember we were allowed only a few items from the menu for our meal period, one of which was a short stack of pancakes. Since I had virtually no supervision at 3am, I'd make lunch for myself: a short stack of three pancakes, each the size of an LP record. It wasn't much, but it was one way I could stick it to the man at that job.

[FarPoint]

6. Well...those 3 LP pancakes probably cost them 3 cents.

They buy in bulk and pancakes are amazingly cheap even when buying products retail.

[Not Sure]

9. You're right

The batter came from a giant vat, so it wasn't much of a dent in the owner's pocket, but it felt good. Plus, those pancakes taste good.

[FarPoint]

10. I cook a lot of meals from scratch.

There is tremendous savings when home cooking. The flavor and nutritional value is stellar. I can't recall the last time I ordered a pizza. Every Sunday I either make pancakes with blueberries, bacon and eggs or biscuits with fresh jam and eggs.

[mtasselin]

4. asshole's

Society doesn't need anymore assholes like this, I hope the AG stays on top of this so he doesn't come back and punish the people that still work there. One of the thousands of reasons we need unions.

[mdbl]

5. Where is this place?

Pottersville Massachusetts? As if the rules weren't degrading enough and the pay crappy enough, then he has to steal from the peasants too?

[fasttense]

7. And I bet the thief thinks he got rich honestly

"The settlement agreement requires the employers of the West Springfield IHOP location, RME Enterprises and its president and treasurer Robert Max Evans, to pay more than $100,000 in restitution and penalties and to comply with the state’s wage and hour laws."

I'll bet you this restaurant owner claims to have pulled himself up by his own boot straps. I bet he thinks he has worked hard to get ahead and that he rightfully earned everything he ever stole. Everyone is just picking on the rich.