Executive Summary: On September 6, in Marsh v. J. Alexander’s LLC, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to give deference to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) tip-credit guidance under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). The guidance—commonly known as the “80/20 rule”—provides that employers may not take a “tip credit” for time spent performing duties “related” to tip-producing activities (e.g., cleaning tables or rolling silverware) if these duties constitute more than 20 percent of the tipped employee’s time in a given week. In holding that the 80/20 rule is inconsistent with the FLSA because it improperly analyzes an employee’s duties rather than the performance of distinct jobs, the Ninth Circuit created a circuit split on this issue, and potentially paved the way for a U.S. Supreme Court decision with national impact.
Home > Federal Law Articles > FLSA > Industries and Occupations > The Ninth Circuit Affords No Deference to the DOL’s 80/20 Tip-Credit Guidance—Creating a Circuit Split and Potentially Setting Up a Supreme Court Fight