By Maia Efrem
Published August 04, 2010, issue of August 13, 2010
Workers who were fired by a Brooklyn kosher food producer after demanding overtime pay have been protesting outside the owner’s house and a supermarket this summer, and preparing for a return to the National Labor Relations Board this fall.
Flaum Appetizing, Inc., a producer of kosher salads, pickles, and smoked fish, has been embroiled in the dispute since it fired 17 immigrant workers in May 2008. The terminated workers had complained about working conditions and demanded to be paid overtime after working 60 to 80 hours a week. The NLRB ruled that Flaum had violated the workers’ rights, and ordered their reinstatement with back pay. Flaum has not complied, and a NLRB hearing is set for September 21. “Our belief is that if you work, if you sweat and deliver a service, you’re entitled to have your legal rights protected, and that includes payment for your work,” said Daniel Gross, executive director of Brandworkers International, a not-for-profit organization that advocates workers’ rights and has taken up the cause along with the Industrial Workers of the World union.
ommunity and labor activists to call on the KRM Kollel supermarket to reassess the sale of Flaum products. Flaum is set to stand trial in federal court after denying workers overtime pay for years and launching a campaign of fierce retaliation when employees stood up for their legal rights. KRM is currently one of the largest retailers of Flaum products including hummus, pickles, and middle eastern salads.