Public urged to avoid Bestway, support rights of fired workers
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| Fired workers urge people not to shop at Bestway. |
Alex Amaya has been working at Bestway, the Latino grocery
store on Graham Road and Route 50, for 10 years and gets no paid holidays, no
vacation time, and no overtime pay for working a 60-hour week. As a grocery
manager in charge of ordering merchandise, he earns just $7.95 an hour, which
doesn’t go very far in supporting his wife and two-year-old daughter.
store on Graham Road and Route 50, for 10 years and gets no paid holidays, no
vacation time, and no overtime pay for working a 60-hour week. As a grocery
manager in charge of ordering merchandise, he earns just $7.95 an hour, which
doesn’t go very far in supporting his wife and two-year-old daughter.
That’s why Amaya joined 30 of his co-workers in demanding better treatment from the Bestway management. After they were all fired for trying
to start a union, they have gathered on the street in front of the store with
signs and a megaphone blaring at potential customers, “Don’t shop Bestway!”
to start a union, they have gathered on the street in front of the store with
signs and a megaphone blaring at potential customers, “Don’t shop Bestway!”
“We’re out here to show the people the illegal stuff Bestway
is doing, so they won’t be able to cause any more damage. We want to let the
community know the kind of people they are,” said Amaya Oct. 16. “Many other
people have worked here much longer. The first thing we want is to get our jobs
back.”
“The most important thing is make sure we get respect from
our employer,” said Edgardo Diaz, the former manager of the meat department at
Bestway. He was paid just $7.55 an hour, while someone with a comparable job at
Giant earns $18 an hour, says Guillermo Zelaya, a representative of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400, which is supporting the Bestway
workers.
our employer,” said Edgardo Diaz, the former manager of the meat department at
Bestway. He was paid just $7.55 an hour, while someone with a comparable job at
Giant earns $18 an hour, says Guillermo Zelaya, a representative of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400, which is supporting the Bestway
workers.
Diaz said Bestway requires people to work on holidays,
including Christmas Eve, with no extra pay, and when he asked for a vacation,
he was told he had to work for five more years to get one day of paid leave.
including Christmas Eve, with no extra pay, and when he asked for a vacation,
he was told he had to work for five more years to get one day of paid leave.
Diaz is originally from Honduras, where he said grocery
employees are given health insurance, time off for holidays, and year-end
bonuses. “I didn’t think it would be like this in America,” he said.
employees are given health insurance, time off for holidays, and year-end
bonuses. “I didn’t think it would be like this in America,” he said.
What’s more, the fired Bestway workers, who are nearly all
Latinos, say the Korean owner of the supermarket has made disparaging racist
comments to them and has different, better employment policies for his Korean
employees.
Latinos, say the Korean owner of the supermarket has made disparaging racist
comments to them and has different, better employment policies for his Korean
employees.
“It got to the point where they decided to confront the
manager as a group and demand that they respect them more and respect their
choice to join a union,” Zelaya said.
manager as a group and demand that they respect them more and respect their
choice to join a union,” Zelaya said.
After an overwhelming majority of workers signed cards to
join Local 400, Bestway refused to recognize the union, resorting to
intimidation, cutting hours, and threats to call U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency. When the workers staged a one-hour work stoppage to draw
attention to the situation, Bestway fired 30 of them on the spot, in violation
of federal labor laws. A manager also quit her job in solidarity with the fired
workers.
join Local 400, Bestway refused to recognize the union, resorting to
intimidation, cutting hours, and threats to call U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency. When the workers staged a one-hour work stoppage to draw
attention to the situation, Bestway fired 30 of them on the spot, in violation
of federal labor laws. A manager also quit her job in solidarity with the fired
workers.
The workers believe their protest is having an impact; they say there were fewer cars than usual in the Bestway parking lot.
No OT pay for over 8 hrs a day, or 40 hrs a week is definitely a violation of the Federal wage and hour act.
There is, however, no Federal requirement for holiday pay, or paid leave.
cash under the table, you betcha