Judge Enjoins Retaliation Against Plaintiffs Seeking Overtime

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.iww.org/en/node/3872



By Beth Bar - 01-02-2008, New York Law Journal

A Manhattan federal judge has ordered a New York City seafood purveyor not to retaliate against workers who are suing the company for allegedly violating state and federal labor laws.

Southern District Judge Louis L. Stanton has issued a preliminary injunction against Wild Edibles, a wholesale and retail chain that has been featured on "The Martha Stewart Show" and on the Food Network. The judge prohibited the company from taking any "adverse employment action against, or terminating the employment of" any worker who decides to be part of the suit.

"Wild has not refuted the evidence showing that they have intimidated Wild employees who are not parties in this action and deterred them from asserting their rights...and have caused named plaintiffs to consider dropping their claims in this case," Judge Stanton wrote in Barturen v. Wild Edibles, 07 Civ. 8127.

The decision appears on page 36 of the print edition of today's Law Journal.

The case began last summer when the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) attempted to organize Wild Edibles workers at the company's Long Island City warehouse.

"From June until September 2007...IWW union representatives regularly stood outside of the warehouse facility, approached Wild employees, and spoke with them about their working conditions," Judge Stanton said. "Several of those employees that Wild was not paying them overtime wages."

FULL story at link.