New York – Seated in a school bus, a score of workers took a spin through Brooklyn and Queens, stopping in front of three supermarkets where – according to two community organizations – the owners abuse their employees, paying them less than the minimum wage.
The tour of abuses began at the Nevins Avenue subway station in central Brooklyn, and the first stop was the Associated Supermarket at 44-07 Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, where Sergio Guzmán worked until he was fired three months ago.
"I worked for an average of $5.85 an hour, with no overtime pay, six days a week. They were going to give me a raise, but they never did," explained Guzmán, who worked at the supermarket's fish counter.
Guzmán said that, besides being poorly paid, the workers are verbally and physically abused by the owners, who are Dominican. The worker informed us that they are not allowed to make phone calls, and that if they are not available when the owners want them, they are fired.
"Nobody has the courage to report them, nor do they know they have rights or whom to get in touch with," said Guzmán, who was fired when he began to demand his rights.
The supermarket's owner, who identified himself as Ramón Durán but whom Guzmán called by the name of Aris, said that he paid all his employees minimum wage – $7.25 an hour plus overtime.
"You come around here picketing me instead of coming to talk to me so I can show you proof. That's not the way to do things," Durán said to María Maisonet, leader of New York Communities for Change (NYCC).
NYCC and Make the Road New York assured us that they had done the necessary investigations and spoken to workers and administrators, and that Guzmán was telling the truth.
"They've been breaking the law for years and years; they don't deserve for us to come talk to them first," said NYCC's Jonathan Westin.
The City Council Member for Sunnyside, Jimmy Van Bramer, arrived at the demonstration and spoke in support of the workers.
"Regardless of immigration status, every worker should be paid more than minimum wage and be paid for overtime. That is the law of this country, this state and this city," declared Van Bramer. "No one should fear reprisals for reporting [abuses]," he added.
After the workers had chanted slogans and passed out leaflets to the community, they all returned to the bus to head for Flatbush, Brooklyn. Their destination was Church Street where abuses have been reported at two supermarkets, Master Food and Nebraskaland Supermarket, both owned by the same person.
"In these supermarkets the situation is even worse. None of the workers makes minimum wage, they work twelve hours a day, six days a week, with no overtime. The workers know we're coming, but they asked us not to point them out because they're terrified of losing their jobs," announced Kate, the NYCC organizer, on the way there.
"We will protest for them!" shouted a worker from the back, winning the support of the entire bus.
The Master Food manager claimed that "yes," he does pay minimum wage and overtime.
"We pay $580 a week and they work 11 hours a day – that's 66 hours a week. Do the math ($8.70 an hour)," he said without identifying himself.
But a worker who was restocking products in a display window said they work 12 hours a day and get paid $500 dollars (which works out to $6.90 an hour).
"I am aware they make them work for nothing. I think it's a good thing that they're protesting, because they're stealing from them," said Cristina Cordero, a Colombian woman of 45 who was doing her shopping.
NYCC and Make the Road New York are lobbying for Governor Paterson to sign the law that will prevent wage robbery, known as the Wage Theft Prevention Act. The bill was approved by the State Senate, and the Assembly passed it last week.
Governor Paterson declared himself in favor of the law, and it is hoped he will sign it before the end of his term. [Gov. Paterson signed the legislation into law on December 13.]
