Brandworkers Exposes Wild Edibles' Use of Corporate Fronts
Submitted on Wed, 09/03/2008 - 4:48pm
Dear Brandworkers Campaigners and Friends,
The snake in the grass has a new trick that we thought you should know
about. Another pathetic attempt to maintain sweatshop conditions is
exposed below. As always, thank you for your continuing support.
Sincerely,
The Brandwokers HQ Team
For Immediate Release:
Brandworkers International
Contact: press (at) brandworkers.org
August 26, 2008
Statement of Brandworkers on Wild Edibles' Deceptive Use of Corporate
Fronts
"In their continuing bid to avoid accountability for their illegal
employment practices, Wild Edibles and owner Richard Martin have begun using
different company names to deceive restaurant owners into buying seafood
from Wild Edibles.
On the heels of filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, Wild Edibles is deploying at least eight trucks under various company names and is
billing restaurants using invoices from front companies. Wild Edibles and
these front companies are one and the same and are therefore all subject to
the current labor dispute.
The fish from the front companies is processed, packed, and delivered by Wild Edibles workers in the Wild Edibles warehouse. The same warehouse
which received a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
selling adulterated tuna that had been, "prepared, packed, or held under
insanitary conditions whereby they may have been rendered injurious to
health."
Employees have been campaigning for over a year to win respect for work
and family at Wild Edibles, Inc., a formerly well-regarded seafood
wholesaler and retailer. Instead of paying illegally withheld overtime pay and improving working conditions, Wild Edibles owner Richard Martin
responded to the workers' efforts with a fierce campaign of retaliation, a
questionable bankruptcy filing, and now a sorry attempt to obscure Wild
Edibles' identity through front companies.
The Brandworkers Focus on the Food Chain initiative is providing
comprehensive legal and advocacy support to twenty-four current and former Wild
Edibles employees. Focus on the Food Chain promotes the principle that
healthy, wholesome food includes respect for the dignity of workers along
the food supply chain. Brandworkers International is a New York-based
non-profit organization protecting and advancing the rights of retail and
fo=
od employees.