When we organize, we win! After leading a two year fight against wage theft, sexual harassment, and unsafe working conditions, Liberato Restaurant workers have officially won, reaching a settlement and making positive change in the workplace! On Monday they received their first settlement checks.

Read further about the amazing victory here.

Dear LWC and Liberato campaign supporters – At the request of the judge, Liberato workers have entered settlement talks with the restaurant to see if a fair agreement can be reached before trial. In addition, the judge is ordering an independent review of Mr. Liberato’s financial records–an important step for the campaign.

During this time the workers have asked everyone not to protest at Liberato Restaurant. As always we stand ready to join with the community and fight for justice in the workplace and beyond!

Hi-res photos available

New York, NY — A leader of the NYC-based Laundry Workers Center (LWC) said he received a death threat Monday night, during a rally of over seventy people outside Liberato Restaurant, a popular Bronx establishment. LWC co-director Mahoma Lopez, along with members of the worker center and several community groups and labor unions, was protesting the firings of three workers last weekend at the restaurant.

“Someone came out of the restaurant and approached me at the picket line,” Lopez said. “He told me to be careful because the company already has five hit men with guns.”

Picket details: https://www.facebook.com/events/618623021607314/

Since April 2014, Liberato workers with the support of the Laundry Workers Center have been engaged in a steadfast campaign against their employer protesting wage theft. After a year of trying to defeat workers from raising the issue of their stolen wages & other bad working conditions they were subjected to, through picketing and litigation the employer fought back suing for defamation and a bringing a false RICO charge against the workers. His approach has been to admit nothing, deny everything and issue counter charges while maintaining illegal pay practices. Now as the wage theft trial is approaching, Liberato attempted to “resolve” these issues out of Court with a bogus offer to settle. The offer was unreasonably low and required the workers who were still employed to leave. The workers refused, at which point three leaders of the campaign were immediately fired. On the same evening of the firings, another worker at home, noticed someone taking pictures of her car and license plate. In our opinion, by firing these workers Liberato has shown that his real interest was to rid the ranks of his employees of those seeking proper pay and an intent to continue to violate the law. Indeed after a year of being on notice of his failure to pay minimum wage and overtime he has not changed his pay practices one bit. He has tried to paint himself as the victim of a campaign to drive him out of business when the reality is he has benefited from his policies of violating wage and hour laws.