Justice on Knickerbocker Avenue

Over $70,000 in Restitution for Knickerbocker Ave. Workers 

On August 17, 2005, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced that three Brooklyn Stores agreed to settle a lawsuit in which Spitzer alleged that workers were underpaid and illegally fired. The RWDSU and Make the Road by Walking originally brought these cases to the attention of Spitzer's office as part of the campaign to improve workers' conditions at businesses along Knickerbocker Avenue.

In a statement to the press, Spitzer said, "This is a concerted effort to bring about a real change in the working conditions of the labor force in Bushwick.  My office will continue to aggressively investigate wage violations, and we encourage workers to come forward to report these violations."

The settlement provides that Khubaib Masood, who owns Super Star 99 Inc., Less & Plus Discount Inc., and Jimmy 99 Cents Inc., will reopen two of the stores, reinstate all illegally fired workers, and pay the workers restitution in the amount of $70,000. The workers will also receive three paid sick days and three paid vacation days each year.

The stores will also be subject to monitoring to ensure that they comply with all minimum wage and overtime requirements in the future.

"The RWDSU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers on Knickerbocker Avenue, and to give them a voice on the job," said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbuam. "We will continue to help them in their struggle to organize, and we will continue to work with the Attorney General's office to right the many wrongs on the Avenue."