Yankee Stadium waiters, who deliver beer and gourmet grub to the stadium's expensive seats, are crying foul saying that a 20 percent gratuity that patrons are charged for food delivery never makes it to their pockets. So naturally they are suing. According to the suit the menus at each seat say that "a 20% service charge will be added to the listed prices. Additional gratuity is at your discretion," but employees never see an extra dime.
If the suit goes through, lawyer Brain Schaffer calculates that nearly 100 employees—who earn $35 a day, plus 6% of sales, or about $7,000 over the course of a six-month season—could make as much as $20,000 from the so-called service charges. The suit, however, does not specify a dollar amount in damages.
Worse (but not surprisingly), Legends Hospitality, the subject of the suit which is partially owned by the Yankees, apparently has a rule in which employees weren't even allowed to talk about the fee with customers. "The customer will frequently ask my clients where is the 20% charge going and they are told 'I can't tell you.'" Schaffer explained yesterday. "It always puts my clients in an awkward position."
Legends, for its part, denies any wrongdoing, telling the Post: "All of our employees are paid properly and in accordance with their union contract."
We thought that excessive gratuity suggestions that you could turn down (but at least knew are going to the right place) were bad, but excessive gratuities that don't even go to the workers you expect them to are really outrageous!
