More Restaurant Worker Lawsuits

Sparks Steakhouse is being sued by a former waiter who claims the restaurant misappropriated tips and did not pay minimum wage. From the NY Times:

The suit, filed in Federal District Court, said that Sparks operated a tipping pool for employees who did not serve customers, like appetizer expediters, banquet and kitchen managers, dessert station chefs and wine cellar masters. According to state and federal labor law, only those employees connected with the actual serving of the food and beverages are eligible for participation in a tip pool. A spokesman for the steakhouse said it denied all allegations.

This follows other restaurant workers-fighting-for-tips news. Former workers at Shelly's restaurant on West 57th Street sued management, claiming that their tips were skimmed and that they were not paid overtime, while workers at Jing Fong in Chinatown sued, claiming their tips were going towards the dim sum ladies' pay.

Recently, Golden Bridge restaurant in Chinatown agreed to hire workers who are also members of the 318 restaurant workers' union.