Satmar Hasid's Hummus Banned Over Worker Mistreatment

Flaum's Sonny and Joe's hummus has been a big seller, with members buying about 762 containers a week. Despite that, the vote to get rid of it was an overwhelming 165 to 3.

Park Slope Food Co-op loses faith in kosher vendor Flaum Appetizing Corp.
BY Erin Durkin • NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The Park Slope Food Co-op has banned a Williamsburg kosher food company's products over charges it illegally fired workers who complained about getting stiffed on overtime.

The grocery store's members voted this week to pull from the co-op's shelves products from Flaum Appetizing Corp., which makes hummus, pickles, salads and other kosher products.

The Daily News reported last week that Flaum owner Moshe Grunhut has refused to comply with federal orders to cough up about $260,000 in back pay after the National Labor Relations Board found he illegally booted 17 workers.

The co-op is the first market to boycott Flaum over the charges. Daniel Gross, executive director of Brandworkers International, an advocacy group backing the workers, said he hopes other stores will follow suit.

"Flaum's bread and butter is their clients," Gross said. "That sends a very popular economic message to Moshe that his business practices are incompatible with the values of New York consumers."

The fired employees said they worked as 80 hours a week for minimum wage with no overtime. When the workers tried to form a union and went on a brief strike in 2008, management ordered them to leave - a move the National Labor Relations Board ruled was illegal retaliation.

"I worked at Flaum for 13 years, and my co-workers and I didn't receive a penny of overtime," said Placido Romero, 36,of Bushwick, who told his story to the food co-op members before the vote. "After all those years, Flaum didn't hesitate for a moment to throw me out of work."

Co-op general manager Joe Holtz said Flaum's Sonny and Joe's hummus has been a big seller, with members buying about 762 containers a week. Despite that, the vote to get rid of it was an overwhelming 165 to 3.

"Our co-op ... tries wherever possible to deal with other companies that are ethical employers," said Holtz.

Grunhut didn't return a call yesterday. He previously told the Daily News that he always paid required overtime, and got rid of the workers because he discovered they were illegal immigrants.

Other Flaum Posts.

Comments

[Chabad of Folsom Street Fair]

Ouch!, Sonny and Joe's hummus is my favorite one, it is delicious and a b ig seller in the health food grocery stores here in the bay area.

I did not know they are Satmar, with really sad heart I am going to inform the food distributors (Real Foods) about and start boycotting them (after I get one more humus with Galilee olives)

[Menachem Mendel lll]

THE GEMARA SHABBOS tells us that after 120 years the first question that a person is asked is: "Have you always been honest in your business dealings?" We learn from this how important it is to always be a Jew—not only when we go to shul and learn Torah but in the business world as well. Our job is to be a 24-hour Jew.

These fuckers piss and shit on the Torah and Gemara as a bear pisses and shits on logs in the forest.

Needless to say, these types of criminals always have extenuating circumstances like Rubashkin that allow them to do as they see fit.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Another hummus controversy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/03/princeton-hummus_n_791834.html

[Mr. Apikoros]

As much believe Flaum's products should be boycotted, the fact that the Stalinists at the Park Slope Food Co-op banned them is a point in Flaum's favor.

[MalachHamovies]

As much believe Flaum's products should be boycotted, the fact that the Stalinists at the Park Slope Food Co-op banned them is a point in Flaum's favor.

Anyone who is in favor of social justice and who is slightly to the left of Attila the Hun is not automatically a Stalinist.

Even though you rebelled against the Yeshiva and charedei world you obviously can't get rid of go of the peasant and small minded mentality that you absorbed.

[jimmy]

Social Justice is an arbitrary term that the Left uses to justify its violent behavior and impose its positions on everyone.

[MalachHamovies]

Social Justice is an arbitrary term that the Left uses to justify its violent behavior and impose its positions on everyone.

What violent behavior are we talking about here ??? Not ordering Hummus from a chassidishe store on Lee Av because they treated their workers like dogs so the owner can have more money to buy a fancier gold watch or a more expensive shtreimel for his son-in-law ??

Sorry. But treating people decently even "goyim" is more important then all of that other stuff.

[Mr. Apikoros]

You obviously know little about the commies at the Park Slope Food Commune, er, Coop. They're a bunch of Marxists who try to impose their political ideology upon their membership.

It's the Park Slope Coop which treats its free labor like dogs, Comrade. To me that makes them no better than Flaum. Try doing a little research on them, you'll learn something.

Moreover, you know very little about me, if you believe I have a peasant mentality.

[Sarah K]

Regardless of how the Park Slope Coop treats its volunteers -- and I have heard about many incidents -- remember they are there of their own free will. They don't need this to make a living as the Satmar's employees do. The Satmars have a long sad history of worker abuse. They never read the part of Torah about this or tore out that section.

[C S FISHER GABA]

I dont know why you call this ofender a satmar hasid .Mr Moshe Grunhot ffom FLAUM"S never daven in my shuels he never come to my tish .i dont knoe him at all

Chayim Slohma Fisher Gaba for
Rabbi Ahron Teitelbaum
Grand Rabbi of Satmar Kiryas Joel

[Mr. Apikoros]

I don't "knoe" him either.

I'm curious if you were born in the USA. If so, there's absolutely no excuse for your atrocious spelling and grammar.

You are a poster child for the devolution of Hasids.

[Sarah K]

I don't no him neither.
Sarah K