A Dunkin' Donuts employee, angered with having to share the proceeds from the tip jar with managers and others who aren't serving customers, filed a class-action lawsuit against the owner of several North Shore Dunkin' Donuts franchises.

The complaint alleges that the franchise owner is violating the Massachusetts state tips laws by forcing employees who serve customers to pool their tips, which are then split among the servers and other employees.

The Massachusetts "Tips Law" forbids employers from causing, requiring or permitting wait staff employees to share their tips with non-wait staff employees, such as managers.

Similar lawsuits have been filed around the country. Some have been on behalf of servers who are paid a lower minimum wage for wait staff, who rely on tips for the majority of their income, and who have objected to pooling tips or being required to "tip out" to other employees such as the hostess or a bartender.

More recently, servers who work behind the counter have also gone to court over tips. Those workers, who generally earn at least minimum wage, have objected to sharing the contents of the tip jar with supervisors.