Flaum's Lawyer Accused of Ethical Violation in Bid to Trick Workers Out of Wages!
Submitted on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 1:33am
Dear Focus Friends,
Good morning, I hope you're well. I wanted to update you with breaking news which I hope you'll share.
In a bombshell legal brief filed yesterday, Flaum Appetizing's attorney, Jeffery Meyer of the firm Kaufman Dolowich Voluck & Gonzo LLP, has been accused of extremely serious ethical violations in connection with an attempt to trick immigrant workers at Flaum into signing away their right to the wages they worked for.
The prominent blog Failed Messiah, which published the brief in full, calls the revelation, "...a serious ethical violation that could (and probably should) lead to censure and perhaps disbarment." The brief makes for very troubling reading and you can access it in full at http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2011/09/flaum-appetizing-tries-to-cheat-workers-again-678.html.
This development provides further evidence of the ruthless and illegal misconduct used by Flaum and its representatives to undermine the effort of workers to protect their basic employment rights. In 2009, a judge found that Flaum illegally fired en masse seventeen of its employees for engaging in protected activity. All appeals are exhausted and the conclusion that Flaum violated federal law cannot be changed. However, Flaum is seeking to avoid compliance with that final decision by raising discriminatory allegations about immigration status.
New York's leading food retailers including Zabar's, Fairway, and Food Emporium have discontinued selling Flaum's products including its Sonny & Joe's hummus over concerns about legal rights abuses. Despite the growing consensus that Flaum must comply with the law, Tnuva, the world's largest kosher cheese company, continues to distribute its products to New York supermarkets through Flaum. Tnuva has a track record of questionable behavior including allegations of price gouging and monopoly behavior. Tnuva USA CEO Yoram Behiri has turned down repeated requests to meet with the Flaum workers and hear their personal story of what it's like to distribute Tnuva products at Flaum.
Tnuva is owned by Apax Partners, a sprawling private equity company with financial interests around the world. Apax Partners US CEO John Megrue has rebuffed multiple attempts by prominent rabbis to engage in dialogue on the ethical values at stake in the Flaum campaign. Apax is an owner of clothing conglomerate Phillips-Van Heusen that has also come under fire for using sweatshop labor.
Despite being faced with a stunning array of deceitful and bullying tactics, Flaum workers continue to lead a spirited and powerful campaign for accountability with the help of passionate supporters around the world like you.
Thank you so much for accompanying the workers on their march to justice.
In Solidarity,
Daniel Gross