How do you protect yourself from overtime wage loss as a waitress or bartender?
If you are a waitress or bartender, then you probably spend your shifts on your feet while performing a fast-paced and often hectic job. Also, you probably have late hours.
Add that to the fact that you must paste on a smile to greet your guests no matter how crazy it is in the "back of the house" (kitchen), and by the end of the night you're probably often ready to throw in the apron.
But imagine your dismay when at the end of a slow week you add up your earnings only to realize that you didn't even manage to average minimum wage, even after working more than 40 hours.
This happens more often than you think, especially to young adults or students who depend on the flexibility of the restaurant industry, where cash is taken home at the end of the night.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, all tipped employees must make at least $5.15 per hour, through a combination of the compensation from the employer and tips earned.
The Houston, Texas restaurant overtime attorneys handle many cases where young people work more than 40 hours a week, but never see the overtime pay in their checks. Since most of the week's compensation is taken home in the form of cash at the end of the night, it is easy to overlook - especially when the servers and bartenders are living paycheck to paycheck and highly dependent on their jobs.
What can you do to protect yourself from falling victim to overtime wage loss in Houston? Here are a few tips from our attorneys:
1. Document all of your earnings. Before spending a penny of your hard-earned money, write down how much you made for the night. Keep the records in one place, such as a notebook or diary. Remember to subtract the amount of money you may have brought in as a "bank" at the beginning of the night to provide change to your guests.
2. Keep track of all of the hours that you worked. Don't always rely on the clocking system at the restaurant, especially since many systems allow your time to be altered. In the same place where you document the day's wages, mark the exact time you began and ended your shift.
3. If you feel that you are missing out on overtime wages or that you are not meeting the minimum wage standards, contact an experienced Texas overtime attorney to help you. Such an individual can look at your situation and tell you whether or not you have a claim.
For more tips on how to protect yourself as a restaurant industry worker, order your free copy of the book Ten Biggest Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Wage and Overtime Claim by calling 888.449.2068 today. You can describe your situation using our online form, and an attorney from Kennedy Hodges, LLP will get right back to you to schedule a free consultation.
