For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
March 26, 2008
Sushi Samba Becomes Fifth Major Restaurant Group
to Drop Embattled Seafood Company
Wild Edibles Continues to Lose Millions of Dollars
Over Mistreatment of Workers
New York, NY- Large seafood wholesaler and retailer,
Wild Edibles, is seeing its customer base rapidly
erode with Sushi Samba, one of the nation's hottest
sushi restaurants, cutting off purchases from the
company until an employment dispute with workers is
fairly resolved. Sushi Samba Park and Sushi Samba 7
join leading New York restaurants like Pastis, Union
Square Cafe, La Goulue, and Mermaid Inn that have
previously pulled out of Wild Edibles over concern for
the treatment of employees there.
"We are very pleased that Sushi Samba has chosen to
support the legal rights of workers at Wild Edibles,"
said Daniel Gross, the founding director of
Brandworkers International, a non-profit workers'
rights organization providing legal and advocacy
assistance to the employees. "Wild Edibles' remaining
customers would do well to consider playing a
similarly positive role."
Wild Edibles workers have joined with concerned
community members to make positive change on the job.
Last September, a group of employees filed a large federal class
action lawsuit potentially covering hundreds of workers
alleging that Wild Edibles withheld overtime pay and retaliated
against workers who asserted their rights. A federal judge
subsequently issued an injunction against Wild Edibles
and its owner Richard Martin against further
retaliation. The National Labor Relations Board has
also alleged that the company interfered with the
rights of employees who have joined the Industrial
Workers of the World labor union.
"I have four children to support and tens years without
overtime pay was too much," said Cesar Barturen, one
of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Wild Edibles.
"It's shameful that for standing up for my rights, [owner] Richard
Martin fired me."
Wild Edibles warehouse employees come mainly from
Latin America and most have financial obligations to
families here and abroad. They start their work day at
2am and work through the night until 11am or later.
Working in a facility that is often painfully cold,
Wild Edibles employees must contend with cuts and
strains from preparing and hauling the seafood on a
tight-schedule. Though they work hard and service
many of New York's most expensive fine-dining
restaurants, the workers were systematically denied
overtime pay and many haven't seen a raise in years. Many
of the workers take home around just $400 a week for
as many as 55 hours of work. They receive
neither company health insurance nor retirement
benefits.
Brandworkers International is a non-profit
organization providing legal, advocacy, and organizing
support to retail and food employees across the supply
chain. By connecting retail and food workers with
concerned citizens, Brandworkers increases employer
compliance with the law and challenges corporate
misconduct. The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain
initiative enables the mostly immigrant food
processing workers in Brooklyn and Queens to rise
above poverty and abuse.
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