Lawsuit against Korean employers for unpaid wage might be conditionally pardoned
Title
Lawsuit against Korean employers for unpaid wage might be conditionally pardoned
Vtmbh article article file
Vtmbh article article order
2
Vtmbh article author
JooChan Kim
Vtmbh article blurb
Korean greengrocery and deli owners who agree to abide by mimum wage, overtime and other labor laws will be pardoned from a suit brought by their Latino employees and their union, in a deal brokered by New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer.
Vtmbh article body
The lawsuit between Korean greengrocers and deli owners and their Hispanic employees is predicted to end in a conditional pardon of the Korean greengrocers and deli owners.
New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer is mediating the settlement of this lawsuit between the two groups. They are expected to announce a resolution by next week.
The main condition of this pardon is that Korean greengrocers and deli owners must sign and agree to a Code of Conduct which includes related labor law provisions. They must also agree to pay their workers minimum wage, time-and-a-half for overtime, and unpaid or delayed wages and overtime. If these conditions are met, the Korean greengrocers and deli owners will be pardoned for their past faults.
This Code of Conduct includes a labor law which states that after an employee has worked at an establishment for one year, they must be given one week of paid vacation time and sick leave.
Ahn Sung Hyun, the Vice President of the Korean-American Association of New York, who participated in the negotiations along with Spitzer, the labor union representing the Hispanic workers, and the Korean owners, stated, If the Korean owners decide to sign the Code of Conduct and follow through with the current negotiations, they will receive clemency for their past errors.
Ahn also explained that signing this Code of Conduct will be beneficial for the Korean owners as well, since by doing so they can avoid further investigations by the New York Attorney Generals office and protests by unions.
If this is resolved in this manner, it will alleviate the trouble some Korean owners had with unpaid wage conflicts with Hispanic employees and the unionization of Hispanic workers.
The president of the Korean-American Association of New York, Suk-joo Kim, met with Francisco Garcia, a Mexican senator and Chairman of the Association of Unions in Mexico, and talked over the methods of improving relations between Koreans and Mexicans in New York.
I hope that the Korean and Mexican communities in New York will come to understand and help each other, Garcia said.
Kim replied, Although there are some tensions between Koreans and Hispanics, an intimate codependent relationship exists between them. I see in the near future a time where the conflict between Korean owners and Hispanic employees will be resolved. Garcia remarked that he will invite the members of the Korean Association of New York, including President Kim, to Mexico
New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer is mediating the settlement of this lawsuit between the two groups. They are expected to announce a resolution by next week.
The main condition of this pardon is that Korean greengrocers and deli owners must sign and agree to a Code of Conduct which includes related labor law provisions. They must also agree to pay their workers minimum wage, time-and-a-half for overtime, and unpaid or delayed wages and overtime. If these conditions are met, the Korean greengrocers and deli owners will be pardoned for their past faults.
This Code of Conduct includes a labor law which states that after an employee has worked at an establishment for one year, they must be given one week of paid vacation time and sick leave.
Ahn Sung Hyun, the Vice President of the Korean-American Association of New York, who participated in the negotiations along with Spitzer, the labor union representing the Hispanic workers, and the Korean owners, stated, If the Korean owners decide to sign the Code of Conduct and follow through with the current negotiations, they will receive clemency for their past errors.
Ahn also explained that signing this Code of Conduct will be beneficial for the Korean owners as well, since by doing so they can avoid further investigations by the New York Attorney Generals office and protests by unions.
If this is resolved in this manner, it will alleviate the trouble some Korean owners had with unpaid wage conflicts with Hispanic employees and the unionization of Hispanic workers.
The president of the Korean-American Association of New York, Suk-joo Kim, met with Francisco Garcia, a Mexican senator and Chairman of the Association of Unions in Mexico, and talked over the methods of improving relations between Koreans and Mexicans in New York.
I hope that the Korean and Mexican communities in New York will come to understand and help each other, Garcia said.
Kim replied, Although there are some tensions between Koreans and Hispanics, an intimate codependent relationship exists between them. I see in the near future a time where the conflict between Korean owners and Hispanic employees will be resolved. Garcia remarked that he will invite the members of the Korean Association of New York, including President Kim, to Mexico
Vtmbh article date
2002-09-16
Vtmbh article edition
34
Vtmbh article hit count
118
Vtmbh article keywords
Vtmbh article line breaks
1
Vtmbh article original language
Korean
Vtmbh article publication
Korea Times New York
Vtmbh article section
news
Vtmbh article thumb
Vtmbh article title
Lawsuit against Korean employers for unpaid wage might be conditionally pardoned
Vtmbh article translator
Jeongwoo Han
Source
born-digital
Media Type
article
Original Name
Korean greengrocery and deli owners who agree to abide by mimum wage, overtime and other labor laws
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2002-09-16
Collection
Citation
“Lawsuit against Korean employers for unpaid wage might be conditionally pardoned,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1573/.