boss taking my tips

I work in a salon where my boss has recently decided to shut down the shop to provide cutting classes for the staff. We have all agreed to pay a fee for a teacher to come into the salon for these classes. A few weeks into the class the boss decided he would add a penalty fee to this amount if we show up to class without a model (which the entire staff does not agree with) So the boss has decided to take it upon himself to directly deduct this amount from our tips. We have all expressed that we are not in agreement with this, however, the boss's opinion is that he can take this money from us no matter how we may feel about it. He has also suggested that as a penalty he could send us home for the entire workday. After this suggestion we persued the matter no further because we would all rather pay the penalty than be sent home and make no money at all for the day.....Since this class is separate from the workday does he have the right to take these tips I'm earning at work or send me home from work?

It is normally illegal to take your money as punishment--You could consult your nearest Department of Labor office to briefly discuss the issue with them first...you may also want to ask him to put what is happening in writing and explain that you may have attorneys review the situation...