>>
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>> So, ready to go into restaurants?
>> I'm ready. >> All right.
>> We're going out for dinner under cover.
>> Recording. >> Recording.
>> Heading into some of your favourite chains to see what
servers will dish out but where your money's really going.
>> Who's rights?
>> Worker's rights!
>> Our story begins with the rage over minimum wage.
The fight being heard across Canada.
Since Ontario raised the minimum wage,
some companies are cutting paid breaks and reducing benefits.
>> I'm here today because of the gross treatment of these workers
are getting in the wake of a long overdue wage increase.
>> Now dozens of servers are telling us about another tactic
called the tip-out.
>> I'll get the jerk chicken, please.
You know, most restaurants have a tip-out policy,
a common practice where servers share not a portion of their
tips but a percentage of everything they sell.
But as the minimum wage has been hiked,
some employers are hiking the tip-out,
too, taking money from the servers and giving it to the
other staff.
>> It's really not fair.
>> Grace Ford works at a family dining chain in Alberta.
>> Walk me through this.
You make minimum wage.
>> Yes, I do.
It's 13.60 right now.
>> What do people in the kitchen make?
>> From what I know, there's $15 an hour to $32 an hour.
>> So why do you have to give some of your money to them
if they're making more of an hourly wage than you are?
>> They want to make more money as we begin to make more money
but since, you know, times are hard and my boss cannot afford
to pay them more money, he's going to take more money out of
my total sales and food for the day instead of giving them a
higher wage.
>> That sounds to me like you're subsidizing your employer.
>> Yeah, it does feel like it.
>> Grace forks over 4% of all the food she sells but that's
about to increase to 5%.
Just in the past week, how much have you tipped out?
>> I've tipped out $413.62.
>> So even if she doesn't get tipped,
she's still on the hook to pay that percentage to
the restaurant.
>> I am a little frustrated.
There's days where I work 12 hours and I still, you know,
I give out $80 that I've worked all day for.
>> Money Grace is saving to go to nursing school.
>> Hard-earned money that I have sweat and almost cried over
through the past week working for that just kind of disappears
into thin air.
>> She's not alone but she's one of the few people willing
to go public.
So to find out how widespread this is,
we're checking out some popular chains.
First up, a Kelsey's location in Ontario.
We're protecting the identity of servers who could lose their
jobs for speaking up.
>> Same story at Sunset Grill.
And when we head into Moxie's.
>> It's like a wild west out there.
>> Deena Ladd has been fighting for worker's rights
for over two decades.
>> No restaurant owner should be using tips to compensate
for the minimum wage.
>> She says the tip-out tactic is unfair.
>> If they are trying to recruit that money to pay other people
or to cover other costs, then that needs to get challenged
and we need to make sure that people know about it.
>> Because it's happening almost everywhere we visit.
[ ♪♪ ]
>> At Eastside Mario's.
>> And at The Keg.
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>> Seven of Canada's most popular restaurant chains have
increased their tip-outs since the minimum wage hike.
What it looks like is that employers are giving a raise to
people in the kitchen but the employer isn't paying for it,
the servers are paying for it?
>> If I was a restaurant owner, I'd be sitting down with my
staff and I would be creating a fair tip pool that is not taking
it out on servers and that is ensuring that everybody feels
that it's a fair process.
[ ♪♪ ]
>> That's what Ivan Gedz has done.
As a restaurant owner, he knows the business is tough,
money tight but he doesn't want to take it out on his workers.
You increase your minimum wage here up to 16 bucks without
increasing the tip-outs.
Why did you do it that way?
>> Because we felt that some of the models that we're seeing
elsewhere is a little bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
When we make decisions here, our-- my staff know exactly how
much money I make.
When we make strategic decisions they're involved
in that process.
>> Some of the restaurants are doubling their tip-outs.
What do you think of that?
>> Am I allowed to swear on
>> You can try, sure.
>> I think they're full of shit.
>> Now why do you say that?
>> It's not fair.
It's, uh-- being implemented in that manner,
it's being pushed down their throats,
it's not being done with consultation.
You know, from a purely capitalist perspective,
it's just poor business.
It makes no sense.
>> The chains we visit won't tell us why they're tip-outs
have increased, but they do say their policies are fair and
transparent and tip-outs are a way to recognize the efforts of
the entire team.
>> Who's rights?
>> Worker's rights!
>> But these protestors aren't buying that message.
>> I feel that it's just another tactic design to negatively
impact those workers.
>> I see it as wage theft really.
I mean, these workers, you know, they don't make very much,
they're already struggling to make ends meet and, you know,
with that tip-out percentage going up, it's just taking more
money out of workers' pockets.
>> What do you think about the tip-out policy at these major
restaurant chains?
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
[ ♪♪ ]
>> You know, there's a -- a major,
major issue that I think has to be addressed.
[ ♪♪ ]
>> Asha: Exposing telecom sales tactics.
>> I'm not getting what they're promising.
>> We were guaranteed a price.
I don't want to hear the excuse.
>> Asha: Find out how not to get duped at the door.
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