Workers' organizing leads to shorter hours & higher wages

After years of enduring abusive conditions, minimum wage violations, tips-stealing, and illegal firings, the militancy of the restaurant workers struggle in Chinatown, particularly at New Silver Palace (NSP) restaurant, along with two of the largest dim sum houses in Brooklyn, has led to a series of precedent-setting victories for working people!

Undoubtedly, the most significant accomplishment of our restaurant organizing has been changing the working conditions in Chinatown restaurants. Unlike the garment industry, which is primarily a unionized workforce, Chinese restaurant workers are mostly non-union. Ironically, conditions in the garment industry have continued in a downward spiral since the 1980s while conditions for restaurant workers have steadily improved. Our restaurant committee's efforts have resulted in shorter hours and higher wages. In fact, a number of medium and large size restaurants now have a 40-hour workweek. Restaurant workers have been encouraged by the historic struggle at NSP where 318 Restaurant Workers Union members as well as workers from other trades have fought for so many years for the full enforcement of the labor laws.

The NSP fight has sparked an upsurge in workers organizing in restaurants throughout both Chinatowns in Brooklyn and Manhattan and as far away as Westchester County, including: Jade Plaza, Ocean Empire and Ocean Palace located on 8th Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and Ocean Pavillion located on Avenue U in Brooklyn; Hunan Village and David's Jade Palace in Westchester; Grand Buffet and King Chef in New Jersey, and Harmony Palace and Triple 8 in Chinatown. Some of these restaurant battles have already been won, and workers have been awarded several million dollars in backpay while maintaining their jobs.

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