The deadline to sign the Code of Conduct for Korean deli owners has been extended to Feb. 28. The original deadline was Dec. 31, 2002.

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, in an exclusive interview, explained that the Code of Conduct was designed after considering the position of both employees and owners. Thus, it is not only beneficial to employees but also to deli owners. Spitzer announced that the deadline, originally Dec. 31, was extended in consideration of the business of the year-end season.

Also at the interview were two prosecutors, Terry Gerstein and Patricia Smith, who are in charge of labor relations at the Attorney General’s office. Spitzer said that he understood that Korean deli owners are hesitant to sign the Code of Conduct because of cultural difference in the way they related to their employees. But he pointed out that the Code of Conduct was not intended to harm the deli owners, and he strongly encouraged Korean deli owners not to miss this chance to sign the Code of Conduct.

Spitzer added, “The Attorney General’s office plans to hold educational seminars on the system. The seminars will include Korean translators, to make sure that Korean deli owners who sign the Code of Conduct clearly understand the system.” The seminar will be held on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Korean American Association of New York.

The “Greengrocer's Code of Conduct” was created after several meetings between the Attorney General's office and the Korean-American Association of New York (President, Suk-joo Kim). The Code includes a provision that owners who sign will not be asked about any previous labor law violations.

All deli owners must follow basic labor law, such as paying minimum wage and overtime. Additionally, owners who sign the Code of Conduct must agree to pay one week of vacation and two days sick leave to employees who worked at their business for more than a year. To employees who worked more than two years, owners must pay one week of vacation and three days sick leave. The Attorney General’s office will issue certificates to owners who sign. The owner can display it in his or her shop. The certificate will give a good impression to labor unions and various social groups, as well as customers. But the attorney general’s office will, without advance notice, send monitors to businesses to check whether the owner is following the law. In the case that a monitor finds a problem, the owner will be given two weeks to solve the problem.

Therefore, this system is beneficial to the Korean greengrocery and deli owners, who have suffered labor-management conflicts and lawsuits by employees for unpaid wages.

Since last September, when the negotiation with Code of Conduct was announced, about 100 Korean owners have signed it.