Storied Village Eatery Will Stop Purchasing Seafood from Wild Edibles Until Workers' Rights are Respected

New York, NY- One if by Land, Two if by Sea, the highly-regarded Greenwich Village restaurant, has joined several other fine dining companies in cutting off purchases from embattled seafood wholesaler and retailer, Wild Edibles, Inc.  Wild Edibles workers are campaigning to reclaim unlawfully withheld overtime pay and to gain a living wage and health care as union members.  Wild Edibles owner, Richard Martin, has responded with a fierce campaign of retaliation including discharging eleven workers for asserting their rights.

"One if by Land has a long history of supporting workers' rights and we are proud to support the effort of the Wild Edibles workers making positive change," said Rosanne Martino, the general manager of the restaurant.  "Cutting expenses by violating the law and cheating your own employees makes an unlevel playing field in the market and costs

more down the road than it is worth."

A federal judge issued an injunction in December prohibiting Wild Edibles from further retaliating against employees.  But the workers' lawyers recently had to file a motion asking the judge to find the company in contempt of court for continuing its retaliation

campaign despite the injunction.  The National Labor Relations Board has also issued two complaints against the company for interfering with the workers' efforts to form a union with the Industrial Workers of the World.

"We come to work at 2 a.m. six days a week and work hard through the night," said Carlos Molina, one of the eleven Wild Edibles employees fired or forced out of the job for asserting their rights.  "We're just looking for our contribution to be respected and we

appreciate One if By Land's support very much."

The other restaurant groups which have disassociated from Wild Edibles over concern for workers' rights are Pastis, La Goulue, Union Square Cafe, Mermaid Inn, Giorgione, and Sushi Samba.

Brandworkers International is a non-profit organization protecting and advancing the rights of 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 is providing comprehensive legal, advocacy, and organizing support to the Wild Edibles employees.

http://www.Brandworkers.org