Legal Question in Employment Law in Virginia

Gratuity based pay and uniforms (Applebees)

I have worked for Applebees restaurants for over 1 1/2 years. All the while they have provided me with two work shirts. I am only payed $2.13 @hr and they are now saying that they are changing the shirt uniforms to a black dress shirt and we must purchase our own shirts or we will be ''written up'' and then eventually terminated. We have been given less than thirty days notice and have not been told of any true locations to purchase these shirts. Are they allowed to do this?


Asked on 9/10/07, 5:07 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Gratuity based pay and uniforms (Applebees)

Unless the Applebee employees are covered by a contract of employment or collective bargaining type of agreement

which would prohibit it(the proposed dress requirement), the answer, unfortunately, is yes, since the Commonwealth is a so-called employment at will jurisdiction where

the state legislature has conferred many rights and/or exemptions on employers in the Commonwealth and correspondingly far fewer such rights and exemptions on employees and workers(who are known to make far fewer campaign contributions).

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Answered on 9/10/07, 5:22 pm


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