HUNTINGTON PARK : UniHosiery Denies Harassing Workers
Attorneys for UniHosiery Inc. have filed a formal denial to all charges contained in two lawsuits by Latino workers who have walked off the job to protest alleged sexual harassment, racial discrimination and unfair labor practices.
Charles H. Goldstein, attorney for UniHosiery Inc. and its manager, James Paik, last Monday filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court what is essentially a point-by-point denial of the allegations. The workers’ lawsuits were filed a month ago.
“The lawsuits are the tallest tale,” Goldstein said. “It is just a tactic, but to what end?”
The bitter dispute pits the Korean management of the sock-making plant against 65 male Latino workers who formed a picket line outside the business on March 14.
In one suit, at least 14 workers accuse Paik and other male company officials of sexually assaulting them with tools.
The complaint also alleged that for several years male workers were grabbed in the crotch, and, in one instance, a worker was allegedly trapped between the prongs of a forklift by a manager while a second supervisor began to remove the employee’s pants. The plaintiffs are seeking $25,000 each, in addition to punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
The second lawsuit asserts that Latino workers have been treated unfairly. The claim states that Latino workers were denied overtime pay despite working nine-hour days and denied promotions into management positions normally filled by Korean workers. All positions of responsibility--managers, office staff and mechanics--are held by Koreans, and all production work is done by Latinos, according to the complaint.
With the strike in its third month, the workers have installed canopies and mobile toilets on the sidewalk outside the plant at 6734 S. Alameda St., an indication that they are digging in.
Striking worker Daniel Sosa, 24, said the mundane routine--occasionally broken by violence--has taken its toll on those who are camped out on the line.
“It is not easy being out here,” said Sosa, who is supporting his wife and child with the $100 he receives every week for walking the picket line. “There is too much sun. We walk for an hour and take turns playing cards to let time go by.”
A second group of strikers guards the entrance to UniHosiery’s shipping and receiving warehouse a few miles away at 321 32nd St. in central Los Angeles. Earlier this month, police arrested two men after a verbal confrontation turned violent.
According to both sides, a truck driver delivering goods to the warehouse began taunting strikers as he rolled through the picket line. A striker whipped off his belt and the driver struck him with an iron bar. Both are facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon.
A rapid sequence of events in March led to the standoff.
First, someone stole several hundred dollars worth of socks from the plant on March 9. Huntington Park police arrested two suspects who claimed to work there. Three weeks later, company officials suspended 46 of the 85 Latino workers, telling them that their Social Security numbers were questionable.
The workers claim they were suspended not because of lack of documentation, but because they were preparing to organize a union. After the suspensions, all 85 workers struck and the lawsuits were filed.
While strikers march outside the gates, UniHosiery has hired six workers to join its Korean staff in keeping the plant partially operational.
International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union representatives say that the strike will continue until UniHosiery either shuts down or hires back the strikers.
“We know the situation,” said Steve Nutter, regional director of the union. “We would not continue unless we thought this was winnable.”
The National Labor Relations Board is about to complete an investigation of alleged unfair labor practices, said Salvadore Sanders, the lead investigator.
