The Justice Will Be Served! Campaign Sponsored by:
Chinese Staff & Workers Association • National Mobilization
Against Sweatshops • 318 Restaurant Workers Union
June 15, 2009
Dear Friends and Supporters,
The Justice Will Be Served! Campaign is calling on you to support
beauty salon workers and other service workers in taking action
against long hours, health issues and other employment problems
they face. On June 18th we will hold a press conference and demonstration
in the Upper West Side to launch a weekly picket in front of Simply
Nails (aka 167 Nail Plaza) and Kim's Vegetables that have forced
women workers to work long hours, discriminated against and fired
women workers who spoke out.
Salon owners Dong Rim Park (aka "Young") and Mou San
Rim are refusing to comply with a federal court judgment to compensate
salon worker Susan Kim. Susan was illegally fired for speaking
out against long work hours without breaks. The owners have even
changed the name of the salon from 167 Nail Plaza to Simply Nails
in order to avoid liability. Recently, Susan filed a second lawsuit
against the owners for fraudulently selling their two condominiums
worth nearly $3 million to their son, Sokho Lim, for $20.
Since the court decision against 167 Nail Plaza, many other nail
salon and beauty workers from throughout the tristate area have
been coming forward to expose conditions in the beauty industry,
such as long hours without breaks, toxic work environments, sexual
and racial discrimination, and retaliation for speaking out. These
shops include popular salons like Sa-Sa Cosmetic & Skincare,
Belle World Beauty, Beauty Concepts Day Spa, Renaissance, and
Always Is Nails. We are currently working with Assemblymember
Linda Rosenthal to pass state legislation that will provide better
health and safety protections for nail and beauty workers.
Also, more restaurant, deli and supermarket workers in other
shops located in the Upper West Side neighborhood have come out
against sweatshop conditions. Among them, most recently are a
group of women Latina workers from Kim's Vegetables who were made
to work as many as 84 hours a week or as little as $2 per hour,
and were harassed and discriminated against by their Korean bosses.
Like employers of Simply Nails, Kim's Vegetables and other sweatshops
have come together and use similar evasive tactics, such as pretending
to sell the business by reopening under a new name, to undermine
labor law enforcement.
Please join us on June 18th at 1:00pm in front of Simply Nails
at 167 msterdam Avenue to call for a Boycott of Simply Nails.
We especially invite all Koreans who believe in equal rights and
fighting for justice to participate in the picket. We demand Simply
Nail owner comply with the federal court judgment, compensate
and reinstate Susan Kim immediately to ensure the Upper West Side
and New York City sweatshops free.
To participate, please call JWBS at 212-358-0295.
Sincerely,
Hoon Kim
Member NMASS Board
