As we advised last month, several changes initiated by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division’s new regulations are set to take effect on May 5, 2011. On that date, the maximum federal tip credit will increase from $4.42 an hour to $5.12. That means that, under federal law, an employer can pay a tipped employee $5.12 less than the minimum wage so long as the individual’s overall compensation equals at least the legal minimum wage. In addition, the DOL’s finding that "bonus and premium payments . . . are incompatible with the fluctuating workweek method" may impact how some employees are compensated going forward.
We encourage you to review our previous post, which discusses these regulations in detail. In addition, a copy of the regulations can be accessed here.