OH HB534

Prohibits employers from requiring employees to participate in tip pools, defined as systems where employees must contribute gratuities to a common fund for distribution among multiple employees.

Allows employees to voluntarily enter into agreements to divide gratuities among themselves and permits employers to provide custodial services for safekeeping of voluntarily divided tips.

Requires any employer-managed accounts for voluntarily divided tips to be properly identified, segregated from other business records, and open to employee examination.

Employers violating the tip pool prohibition are liable to affected employees for the full amount of tips lost through the pool, minus any amounts actually received from the pool, plus court costs and attorney's fees.

Employers knowingly violating the prohibition face enhanced penalties of double the difference between tips that would have been received and tips actually paid, plus court costs and attorney's fees.