Restaurant Opportunities Center Scores Big Win for Service Industry Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/8924

Lede: A unique workers' center in The Big Apple scores a big win for workers cheated out of their wages and tips. Doug Cunningham has the story.

By Doug Cunningham

The Restaurant Opportunities Center recently won a $3.9 million judgment for 250 restaurant workers against the Fireman Hospitality Group in New York City. Sekou Siby is co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center. He says the restaurants were violating tips and wage laws.

: “Stalling tips, wages not paid properly, minimum wage violation, all the time wage violation and sexual harassment cases. And we felt like this was something that was big and needed to be fixed.”

Siby says his organization is devoted to helping New York City restaurant workers by making sure that restaurants obey the law.

: “Our focus is mainly to help workers improve their working condition. So when we realize they are being abused, the working condition is completely illegal – from a legal standpoint of course – what we do we try to make sure that restaurant owners are in compliance with the law.”