Appeal vowed in Starbucks tips lawsuit

Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Starbucks concerning tip-sharing will appeal their case after it was dismissed by a U.S. district judge in Manhattan on Monday, Lewis Steel, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, confirmed Thursday.

The claim, originally filed in 2008, asserted that Starbucks broke New York labor laws because managers and assistant managers -- who sometimes did the same tasks as baristas and other workers -- did not receive a share of the tip that customers would leave in a box near the cash register, and were forced to contribute to the tip pool.

According to Reuters, Judge Laura Taylor Swain, who presided over the case, said the plaintiffs failed to show they had a right to the tips left in the box. In addition, the "plain language" of the New York labor law made no guarantee that assistant managers could receive tips, Swain said.

Starbucks' policy mandates part-time workers paid hourly get a share of tips. Managers and assistant managers are salaried full-time employees with other benefits such as holidays, sick leave and health insurance.

The suit was filed by a group of former Starbucks store managers and assistant managers who worked in shops in New York and on Long Island.

With Reuters