Compensation: gratuities.

Existing law prohibits an employer or agent, as defined, from collecting, taking, or receiving any gratuity or a part thereof that is paid, given to, or left for an employee, as defined, by a patron, or deducting any amount from wages due an employee on account of a gratuity, or requiring an employee to credit the amount, or any part thereof, of a gratuity against and as a part of the wages due the employee from the employer. Existing law declares a gratuity the sole property of the employee or employees to whom it was paid, given, or left for. Existing law requires an employer that permits patrons to pay gratuities by credit card to pay the employees the full amount of the gratuity that the patron indicated on the credit card slip, without any deductions for any credit card payment processing fees or costs that may be charged to the employer by the credit card company. Existing law requires an employer to keep accurate records of all gratuities received by the employer and requires that these records be open to inspection at all reasonable hours by the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law requires the department to enforce these provisions, and an employer who violates these provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would also require an entity, as defined, that permits a patron to pay for services performed by a worker by debit or credit card to also accept a debit or credit card for payment of gratuity. The bill would require payment of a gratuity made by a patron using a debit or credit card to be made to the worker not later than the next regular payday following the date the patron authorized the debit or credit card payment. Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.