Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania restaurant ordered to pay $184,000 for withholding tips
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WHTM) – A Pennsylvania restaurant was ordered to pay $184,000 in back wages, damages, and penalties after an investigation found they withheld tips.
The U.S. Department of Labor says Sly Fox Brewing Company in Pittsburgh “unlawfully kept a portion of the tips earned by workers, allowing managers to participate in the restaurant’s tip pool.”
Allowing managers to participate in the tip pool is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The Department of Labor says the investigation focused on Sly Fox Pittsburgh Taphouse and Sly Fox Pittsburgh Brewery. The company also operates pubs in Berks, Montgomery, and Chester counties.
The restaurant was ordered to pay $84,710 in owed wages, pay civil penalties of $15,435, and pay $84,710 in liquidated damages.
“Restaurant workers often make low wages and depend on every dollar earned, including tips, to help support themselves and their families,” said Wage and Hour District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Restaurant employers must ensure that tipped employees receive their full pay, in compliance with the federal law.”
“This legal action recovers the workers’ hard-earned wages and sends a message to other restaurant employers that violations come at a cost,” said Philadelphia Regional Solicitor of Labor Samantha N. Thomas. “The U.S. Department of Labor is prepared to use every tool available, including litigation, to prevent employers from depriving workers of their wages.”
Pennsylvania
Update: Freeze warning for part of Pennsylvania until Sunday morning – temperatures to drop to 28
On Saturday at 8:52 p.m. an updated freeze warning was released by the National Weather Service valid from 11 p.m. until Sunday 9 a.m. for Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and Higher Elevations of Indiana as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Lawrence, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties.
Pennsylvania
Could a gas tax holiday be imposed in Pennsylvania as prices at the pump continue to rise?
PENNSYLVANIA (WJAC) — Discussion continues about potentially suspending the Pennsylvania gas tax, one of the highest state gas taxes in the country, as prices at the pump continue to jump.
Lawmakers in both chambers are considering a gas tax holiday that would remove Pennsylvania’s gas tax for a limited period. The Senate proposal would last 60 days, while the House version would run for six months. Supporters say the move would provide needed help for people across the state, while opponents argue it is not sustainable.
The proposals would save drivers about 57 cents per gallon on gasoline and about 75 cents per gallon on diesel from the state gas tax.
Representatives of the Democratic senator Lisa Boscola, who proposed the Senate bill and is from the Lehigh area, said they will continue pushing the measure they believe is needed by families around the state and are optimistic it will pass.
In the House, the effort is mostly being pushed by Republicans, though local Republican Rep. Jim Rigby said he does not support it because it is “not a real solution.”
Democratic Rep. Paul Takac agrees, saying state police and PennDOT road work are funded through the gas tax, and that suspending it would essentially defund both, and they would have to find money to fill those voids. Takac added that he has not heard any serious intention to move the bill forward.
Democratic Rep. Frank Burns said he believes that if the proposal came to a vote, a gas tax holiday would pass with bipartisan support and would provide at least a small break to struggling families.
The debate continues as gas prices continue rising, with another jump in the last week.
Chief economist Gbenga Ajilore of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says prices are unlikely to fall soon.
“It seems like gas prices are going to go up, and even if there’s some sort of resolution in say the next couple weeks, it’s going to be difficult to see prices go down anytime soon,” Ajilore said.
The Senate is back in session on Monday and for the next few days after that, but not again until June. If the gas tax holiday is going to move forward anytime soon, that is when it would likely happen.
In the House, the proposal would need to clear the Democratic-led Transportation Committee before it could go to a vote.
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2% for March, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced in its preliminary report Friday.
According to L&I, the rate in Pennsylvania was one-tenth of a percentage point below the country’s unemployment rate, which fell to 4.3% compared to February.
The civilian labor force, consisting of residents working or looking for work, increased by 6,000 to 6,593,000, and employment increased by 9,000 while unemployment decreased by 3,000 from February.
Nonfarm jobs also rose in March, to 6,189,600, while jobs in six industry supersectors increased. Trade, transportation, and utilities were up 5,100 during March.
For more information about L&I, visit its website here.
-
New York1 hour agoRudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Florida in ‘Critical Condition’
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoHow Detroit Pistons Completed Playoff Series Comeback With Game 7 Win Over Magic
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoThe San Francisco Giants Have Never Cast A Smaller Shadow | Defector
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoFC Dallas ended its winless streak and one new scorer made it sweeter
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoWinners and losers from F1’s eventful Miami Grand Prix
-
Boston, MA2 hours ago2 men arrested after armed home invasion with shots fired in Saugus, police say
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoWATCH THE PENULTIMATE SUPERCROSS IN DENVER IN UNDER 24 MINUTES – Motocross Action Magazine
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoSeattle Mariners claim LHP José Suarez from next opponent – Seattle Sports