Pgh. Restaurant Illegally Took $41,000 In Worker Tips, Feds Say

PITTSBURGH, PA — A dozen workers at a North Shore restaurant will receive $41,000 after the U.S. Department of Labor & Industry ruled the eatery illegally shared their tips.

Provision PGH, which operates in the Federal Galley, required servers and workers to share tips with managers, supervisors and others who usually don't receive customer tips. The restaurant violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by awarding tips to those ineligible to participate in a tip pool, according to the labor department.

“Provision PGH LLC shortchanged its employees by retaining tips and not complying with the tip credit rules laid out in the Fair Labor Standards Act,” Wage and Hour Division Pittsburgh District Director John DuMont said in a release. "Restaurant workers are essential workers who depend on
their tips to earn a living. They should be paid every penny of their hard-earned wages.”

The law allows employers to pay tipped workers as little as $2.13 per hour in direct wages, while taking a credit against the tips earned by the employee to make up remainder of the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.