Korean-American Restaurant Owner Ordered Pay Over $2 Million In Back Wages to Employees
Via a reader tip comes this story of a Korean-American restaurant owner in New York who was treating his illegal immigrant employees as if they were Kaesong Industrial Complex workers:
During the busiest banquet season at Kum Gang San, a venerable 24-hour Korean restaurant in Flushing, Queens, employees said they often worked more than 16 hours, with no overtime, and earned less than the minimum wage. When times were slow, workers had to shovel snow from the owner’s driveway and move the owner’s son to a new apartment.
But the final indignity that prompted employees to file a lawsuit in 2012 came after workers were told to pick cabbage at a farm outside the city on their day off. When they refused, the workers said, they were suspended.
Last Thursday, a federal magistrate judge ruled that Kum Gang San, the owner, Ji Sung Yoo, and two restaurant managers owed the 11 employees who had filed a lawsuit claiming wage theft $2.67 million.
“I do see this as a victory because this lawsuit, yes, was about getting the money we were owed, but it was also about changing conditions,” Chul Park, 47, one of the plaintiffs, said through an interpreter on Sunday outside the restaurant. “Even though I am no longer working here, I know that this is going to impact the workers who are here now.”
The case is the latest involving an ethnic restaurant that has been found to exploit workers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants from the same country as the restaurant bosses.
A federal magistrate judge, Michael H. Dolinger, wrote in his decision that Kum Gang San not only persisted in paying employees “grossly substandard wages and diverting some of their tip income, but — in violation of statutes and regulations — they made sure to deny the workers any information that would disclose the violations of their rights.” [New York Times]
You can read more at the link, but Ji Sung Yoo has had a long history of exploiting employees so it is about time this ruling came out against him.
“who was treating his illegal immigrant employees as if…”
…as if they were illegal immigrant employees.
What’s the problem? I embrace diversity.
Illegal immigrants “do the jobs Americans just won’t do”… like picking cabbage on their day off for almost no pay (or three times what they would get “back home”, depending on how you look at it).
If they become legal immigrants, they will expect, and be entitled to, the same pay and protections as American workers. In that case, they just take jobs away from Americans.
Everybody wants to have their cake and eat it too.
One day, Americans are going to wake up and realize there are no jobs Americans just won’t do… or will do… as immigrants, illegal immigrants, and robots will be doing them all at a low, low wage.
That will work out as long as the welfare holds up.
“illegal immigrant employees” ＼(｀0´)／
…Non-documented immigrant employees.
There, I fixed it for you!
“Non-documented immigrant employee’s.”＼(｀0´)／
…illegal immigrant employees
There, I fixed it for you!
P.S. The possessive was incorrect English, Mr. “English teacher”. You cannot hide your level of dipshyt, Tbone.
Illegal aliens working for pay in the USA are guilty of at least two 5-year felonies. Social Security Fraud, Income Tax Evasion, and a variety of lesser felonies if at least one other person knows they are illegally in the country.
Their plight is understood to be that of any other thief who finds the law hindering his ability to bring home the bacon. Democrats and Republicans both have much guilt in this game. They are all trying to buy votes.
The fact that tbone seems to support this new form of slavery is surprising to me. Maybe i misread his comments?