Saigon Grill Workers Win In Their Fight for Justice

This summer 2010 workers will go back to work at Saigon Grill and win their backwages.

As you may recall, in March 2007, 36 delivery workers from Saigon Grill started a battle against sweatshop conditions which spread from the Upper West Side to the rest of NYC and nationwide. By galvanizing thousands of other workers to stand with them, the Saigon Grill workers won their backwages and their jobs. Their victory set legal precedents strengthening the rights for all workers.

They sparked a new wave of Latino restaurant and nail salon workers to join in this fight for better work conditions. And their example emboldened millions more to dare to struggle and dare to win. This is a victory for all working people standing up and fighting against the sweatshop conditions we face.

For all of you who stood with us in this fight for justice, we showed the world that we refuse to be slaves. We reclaimed our dignity. We also showed working people that even in this economic crisis and despite the modern-day slave law employers sanctions, citizen and immigrant workers--undocumented and documented--can come together to fight for a better life.

Read more in a summary of how this victory was won.

Many More Workers Win Victories!!!

Workers at the following shops have won backwages from their employers for violating minimum wage and overtime labor laws:

In the Upper West Side:

• Artie’s Deli
• Kim’s Vegetable Deli
• Café con Leche
• Cottage
• Ollie’s Noodle Shop & Grille
• Saigon Grill

In the Upper East Side:

• Our Place Restaurant 
• Tang Tang Noodle

Downtown:

• Republic Noodles
• Rosie & Ting 
• Remi 
• Intermezzo

Workers Call on the Government of China- Make a Pledge to Ensure Businesses from China Comply with U.S. Labor Laws

Today, there are more than 2 million foreign-born Chinese immigrants in the U.S.  The majority are new immigrants who work in the garment industry, restaurants, nail salons, and other low-wage industries. They work long hours, below minimum wage, and often in dangerous sweatshop conditions, which have devastated many workers' lives and health.

But recently, investments from China have been blatantly violating U.S. labor laws. For example, Wu Liang Ye restaurant, a subsidiary of the Chinese-state owned enterprise, was sued by the workers in federal court. This company completely ignored the American law. Even after the federal court issued a judgment, they terminated all the workers who are part of the lawsuit. These practices undermine law-abiding businesses and promote sweatshops in the U.S. On April 12, 2010 workers sent a letter to President Obama urging him to call on other countries to comply with U.S. labor laws when doing business in the U.S.

Nail Salon Workers Demand Employers Obey the Law

On June 2008 Susan Kim, a nail salon worker at 167 Nail Plaza won a federal court judgment against her employers at the nail salon. After working there 17 years, they had fired her for demanding a break and overtime pay. But after more than two years, the owners Dong Rim Park and Mou San Rim still refuse to comply with the law and have used various schemes to avoid reinstating the worker or paying the judgment. The owners fraudulently sold their assets, filed bankruptcy, changed their business name, and transferred operation of their business to their daughter to evade the labor law.

Nail Plaza a/k/a Simply Nails is setting a bad example in our communities. These owners are also getting together with owners of nail salons in Long Island, such as Always Is Nails, Diva Nails, and a popular chain called Babi Nail to use similar schemes to try to get away with breaking the law.

Workers Start to Organize in Flushing- #1 Sweatshop Disaster Zone

Workers are now starting to stand up against tip-stealing, blacklisting, and labor law violations rampant for many years in the Flushing community.
•    At Guangzhou Restaurant- after two women workers complained about sweatshop practices at their workplace, the owners fired the workers and tried to evade liability by changing their corporate name. On February 10, 2010, after conducting an investigation, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the restaurant for retaliating against the workers.
•    In Flushing, limousine and bus drivers are organizing against sweatshop conditions at Yes Car Service. Owners Luo and his associates operate multiple private limousine and bus service companies, with more than 180 vehicles. Over the years, Luo's enterprise has been able to control drivers and eliminate competing companies using gang violence, bribery, and fraud. This has destroyed the health and safety of the workers as well as the public. Moreover, owners failed to report workers’ income to the government, making it difficult for the workers to get benefits when they got hurt or laid off. 

Tell Fashion Retailers- Don't Do Business with Sweatshops!

Despite the monumental victory of Zheng v. Liberty Apparel where the Federal Court held Liberty Apparel liable for the sweatshop conditions in their factories, large chain retailers are still promoting labor law violations at their subcontracted shops. Workers at Cache’s subcontracted factory in the Garment District labored over 70 hours each week without ever receiving overtime pay and sometimes without receiving minimum wage. The employers retaliated against the workers after years of working long hours manufacturing Cache’s garments, and fired them after they complained. Despite Cache’s knowledge of the sweatshop conditions, Cache maintains a $250 million annual revenue without paying workers what they are owed. This is a disgrace. Those benefiting the most off of sweatshop labor are not being held accountable in places where subcontracted workers are employed- from garment factories to home healthcare to offices.


Join the Sweatshop Free Campaign to call on retailers like Cache to Stop Doing Business with Sweatshops! How can you support:
- Sign the petition to call for stronger manufacturing accountability laws
- Call on Cache and other retailers to stop doing business with sweatshops

NLRB Decision on Imperial Buffet & Restaurant-- Call for Equal Rights for ALL Workers

We are excited to share with you a victory for ALL working people. On December 30, 2009, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) delivered a decision on Imperial Buffet & Restaurant 22-CA-27468 awarding full backpay and conditional reinstatement for a group of documented and undocumented workers who in 2006 organized together at a NJ restaurant against labor law violations at their workplace.

The NLRB found that the employer, Imperial Buffet Restaurant, used the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), particularly the employers' sanctions provision to undermine U.S. labor laws. The employer sanctions provision allowed the employer to take advantage of undocumented workers and undermine their ability to organize with their documented co-workers at the restaurant. Furthermore, he found that the so-called employer sanctions provisions do not hurt employers but rather inflict the most harm to American workers, because the law criminalizes undocumented workers and undermines ALL workers’ rights.

To read a summary, click here.
For the full decision, click here.