Popular Buffet Restaurant Targeted for Worker Center Protest

Workers who lost their jobs after reporting safety violations were joined by community groups and labor leaders to deliver an "unfair labor practice" complaint to the owners of a well-known Chinese restaurant in Raynham August 25 at 12:00 PM. 30 individuals held rain-proof signs and spoke to customers inside and outside the business regarding working conditions.

Latino employees of Grand Chinese Buffet report that management had fired employees after they refused to operate a malfunctioning oven, which later exploded. Workers also claim that they were being paid below the legal minimum wage and that management owes them over $100,000 in unpaid overtime. Instances of aggressive mistreatment and physical abuse are also addressed in the hand-delivered document.

One former employee, a 16 year old mother, maintains that she worked for the restaurant but never received any pay.

“I had worked at Grand Chinese Buffet since June with no pay,” stated Fidela Martinaz, who was pregnant while working for the restaurant. “They gave me a small room to live in with my boyfriend but would not pay me. They made me work excessive hours with no breaks. What we did today made a difference for workers… and I think it will make them change how they treat us.”

The employees were joined by a delegation of community leaders who are currently championing their case. The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), a non profit organization which addresses labor abuses, helped organize the group to press for improvements in their working conditions and to recover wages. The Chinese Progressive Association and the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (the Workers Community Center) also supported the workers in demanding that Grand Chinese Buffet address labor violations.

“The action went well because we need to stop the abuses and only demonstrations or protests will help us let others know what kind of abuses are going on and how we can stop them” said Ana Rosa, a MassCOSH member.

“Bringing these issues directly to an abusive employer in this highly visible manner really gets their attention,” says MassCOSH media and membership coordinator Jeff Newton. “You can see that they are totally unprepared to deal with workers who have spent time organizing and are standing as one to demand better working conditions. It really sends a powerful message that things have to change and change fast.”

The employees and MassCOSH will be meeting with the owners of the restaurant in Boston August 27 to further discuss the complaint.