For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International

Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org

Celebrated Thai restaurant is the latest to drop Wild Edibles until it settles a year-long dispute with workers


August 7, 2008

New York, NY- Kittichai, the popular Thai restaurant in Soho, has stopped serving seafood from wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, Inc. over concern for employee rights.  Wild Edibles workers and their allies have been campaigning for almost a year to reclaim stolen overtime pay; to compel compliance with workplace laws including the right to support a labor union; and to win a more livable wage as well as a health care and retirement plan.

"With Kittichai, thirty-four of New York's most well-regarded restaurantshave stopped serving Wild Edibles seafood," said Raymundo Lara Molina, one of eleven Wild Edibles employees fired or forced out in retaliation for asserting their rights.  "When will Wild Edibles see the writing on the wall and accept a just resolution of this dispute?"

For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
press (at) brandworkers.org

Tavern on the Green Stops Serving Wild Edibles Seafood Over Workers' Rights Concerns

Legendary Central Park restaurant is the latest to drop Wild Edibles until it settles a year-long dispute with workers

August 11, 2008

New York, NY- Tavern on the Green, one of the nation's highest-grossing restaurants, has stopped serving seafood from wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, Inc. over concern for employee rights. Wild Edibles workers and their allies have been campaigning for almost a year to reclaim stolen overtime pay; to compel compliance with workplace laws including the right to support a labor union; and to win a more livable wage as well as a health care and retirement plan.

Immigrant Workers Seeking a Better Future for their Families Score Victory.

By Inni Chowdhury - NYC Indymedia

A dozen protesters gathered in front of the Starbucks on 17th and Broadway on Saturday July 5 to protest the termination of two union organizing baristas. Liberte Locke, ( a current barista who works in Manhattan, wrote a letter to Chairman Howard Schultz, asking to re-instate two terminated employees: Monica (who has declined to reveal her last name for fear of being blacklisted by other potential empolyers) and Cole Dorsey, of Grand Rapids Michigan.

According to the official Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) website, “Monica was fired on the 24th of April without notice. She had resisted management when they made people work public holidays without extra pay. The store manager had told her on several occasions that she must have nothing to do with unions.”

Cole Dorsey was fired on June 6. He had been an active member of IWW Starbucks Workers Union.

From the Industrial Worker, June 2008

Since the IWW Industrial Union 460 began organizing in foodstuffs warehouses 3 years ago, we’ve organized in ten workplaces with varying degrees of success. One issue at every shop has been the employer’s failure to comply with wage and hour laws.

Many companies have retaliated by firing workers for their union activity. Workers have fought back through strikes, pickets, demonstrations, and selective legal action, among other tactics. We find legal action to be most effective when combined with these other methods, and when viewed as a means and not an end. This is a report on our legal status, but readers should understand that legal action is one of many tools workers are using to win their demands.

About a year and a half after we began utilizing legal action, several favorable rulings have recently come down and several settlements have been reached. Since the rulings have just came down, companies have not yet begun making payments.