Star Chef Drops Wild Edibles
Submitted on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 5:54pm
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Star Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Restaurant Stops Serving Wild Edibles Seafood
Over Workers' Rights Concerns
New York, NY (01/26/09)- Aquavit, a perennial winner of three stars from
the New York Times, has stopped serving seafood from accused labor rights
violator, Wild Edibles. Workers at Wild Edibles have been campaigning for
almost a year and a half to reclaim unlawfully withheld overtime pay and win
respect on the job. Aquavit joins over 50 other leading NYC eateries that have
decided not to serve Wild Edibles seafood until the workers' human rights are
honored there.
"I am pleased that in these tough economic times, Aquavit has heard our
call for fairness and accountability from Wild Edibles," said Lino Martinez, a
plaintiff in the class action overtime lawsuit against Wild Edibles. The
National Labor Relations Board has issued two complaints against Wild Edibles
for retaliating against Martinez and several of his co-workers.
Instead of accepting a reasonable resolution of workers' concerns, Wild
Edibles and its owner Richard Martin have embarked on a relentless and at times
bizarre campaign of retaliation and evasion. Most recently, the Industrial
Workers of the World hit Wild Edibles with charges alleging that it is illegally
conspiring with a labor union with a history of corruption, Local 148 of the
Production Workers Union. The company has painted various false names on many
of its trucks to avoid accountability and fired or forced out twelve workers for
asserting their rights.
Brandworkers International is a non-profit organization protecting and
advancing the rights of retail and food employees. The Brandworkers Focus on
the Food Chain campaign promotes a sustainable food system which incorporates
respect for workers' human rights.