NEW YORK A foodservice employee advocacy group and union proponent that has been highly critical of New York City operators for their treatment of workers honored on Tuesday a handful of restaurants that offer such employee benefits as health care and paid sick leave.
"There are a lot of good employers out there that are not only in compliance with all the employment laws, but go above and beyond," said Rekha Eanni-Rodriguez, co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, or ROC-NY.
Founded in 2002 to support restaurant workers displaced after the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, ROC-NY is a co-sponsor of the NYC Restaurant Industry Roundtable, a group of about 50 restaurant owners, workers and local government officials who meet quarterly to address workplace issues.
ROC-NY has been accused of fostering lawsuits against operators, such as in a case last summer involving the Fireman Hospitality Group, an operator of several high-end New York City restaurants. Fireman agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle a wage-and-hour lawsuit over tip-pooling violations. Servers allegedly were forced to share tips with managers.
ROC-NY members also picketed French chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant Daniel after some of his employees filed a racial discrimination suit against him in 2007. Boulud later agreed to an $80,000 settlement.
The organization also has released reports critical of the industry in New York, citing low wages, poor working conditions and patterns of discrimination.
On Tuesday, ROC-NY and the NYC Restaurant Industry Roundtable honored restaurants in the city for their treatment of workers. Recipients of the Exceptional Workplace awards were One if by Land, Two if by Sea, Colors, Crema, Raw Soul, K-Dog and Dune Buggy, Las Chicas Locas and La Palapa Cocina Mexicana.
The workplace awards given are meant to highlight those operators who voluntarily are prioritizing the well-being and rights of their employees, Eanni-Rodriguez said.
"There are owners doing the right thing, and we wanted to find a way to show the public that this exists," she said. "There is a good way of doing this, and this ultimately does mean better profits and more loyal workers and less turnover for the employer."
The NYC Restaurant Industry Roundtable helped develop a code of conduct outlining a standard for employee treatment, from health benefits and multilingual training manuals to procedures for grievances and career advancement, in addition to local and federal labor laws.
The honorees, all members of the roundtable, met the code's standards. They and other New York eateries that adhere to the code are listed in the roundtable's New York City Diner's Guide to High Road Restaurants, which was released to the public. Restaurants listed in the guide will receive stickers for their windows to indicate to customers their proactive employment practices.
Some of the award winners said they were drawn to work with ROC-NY because of a similar interest in employee welfare.
"We already believe in and were doing a lot of the things that are a part of the guidelines, so it wasn't a stretch for us," said Barbara Sibley, chef and co-owner with chef Margaritte Malfy of La Palapa, which has locations in Manhattan's East and West Villages.
Keeping an open dialogue with employees, listening to their problems and issues and helping them where possible has helped keep the turnover low in both restaurants, Sibley said.
"You realize the impact you have as an employer," she said. "People come to me years later and say, 'If you hadn't given me that job, I do not know where I'd be today.' You are responsible for the people that are working for you."
The more than 30-year-old One of by Land, Two if By Sea offers health insurance, paid sick leave and a 401(k) plan to its employees, as well as personal interest-free loans to workers in need, said general manager Roseanne Martino.
"We started this roundtable before any of the labor disputes had come to light," Martino said. "The main focus is to make sure there is a fair workplace. I think the more ROC-NY became known, the more workers felt they could bring to light issues."
Contact Dina Berta at [email protected].
