In Brooklyn
over the weekend members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union
joined the Make The Road New York
group for a holiday march through the Bushwick section. The march supported
retail workers being abused by retail employers in Bushwick. Many of the
workers are immigrants who are being denied legal and fair wages by their
employers. This year’s march called for justice for retail workers and also
celebrated the role of the men and women who work in the stores and their
contribution to the economic vitality of the area. Organizers of the weekend
march distributed leaflets informing workers of their right to be paid at least
the $7.15 minimum wage as well as their right to be paid time and a half when
they work over 40 hours a week. New York
state’s Department of Labor recently launched an investigation into wage and
hour violation in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn,
finding thousands of violations of labor law by retailers there.