Page 3 - White Paper- Wage and Hour Laws

Wait staff, service employees and service bartenders may be paid a service

rate ($3.35 per hour in 2016 and $3.75 per hour starting in 2017) if they regularly

receive tips of more than $20 a month, and if their average hourly tips, when added

to the service rate, are equal to or exceed the basic minimum wage ($10.00 in 2016

and $11.00 in 2017).

There is also a separate minimum wage ($8.00 per hour) for agricultural

work (defined as “work on a farm and the growing and harvesting of agricultural,

floricultural and horticultural commodities”).

The Massachusetts Wage Act

What many people may not realize is that, in Massachusetts, if an employee

files a lawsuit based on nonpayment of wages or salary and prevails, it is

mandatory that the court award them three times the amount owed and order the

employer to pay their legal fees. Please read that again-it is important. There is no

“good faith” or “innocent mistake” defense to a Wage Act claim.

The most important rules, at a glance, are:

slnlaw LLC
46 South Main Street Sharon MA 02067 781-784-2322 www.slnlaw.com