On Feb. 4, UFCW Local 400 reached settlement with Union Kitchen and its owner, Cullen Gilchrist, in a lawsuit against the company for illegally withholding workers’ tips.
On March 7, 2023, the union filed a complaint in D.C. Superior Court under the District’s Wage Payment and Collection Law against Union Kitchen and its owner for withholding tips left by customers in its Washington, D.C. stores intended for employees. The lawsuit ultimately resulted in a settlement of $133,333.34 with the company to compensate 79 victims who were wrongfully denied tips. In addition, the company was also required to pay attorneys’ fees associated with the litigation.
This is not the first time Union Kitchen and Gilchrist have run afoul of the law. A month before this wage theft lawsuit was filed, the company reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board after the federal agency found Union Kitchen had committed 26 violations of federal labor law over its workers’ efforts to unionize. The settlement required Union Kitchen to pay nearly $25,000 to former employees who were fired or disciplined in retaliation for their support of the union. In addition, the company was also ordered to post a notice detailing their wrongdoing and explaining the right of workers to form a union under federal law. Employees at five Union Kitchen locations in Washington, D.C. and Virginia joined UFCW Local 400 in June of 2022.
“Our union is committed to protecting workers from unscrupulous bosses who are willing to violate their employees’ rights and break the law instead of properly compensating them for their hard work,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici. “We’d like to thank the workers who took a stand and participated in this lawsuit for holding Union Kitchen accountable for its unlawful practices.”
“While this process took quite some time to work its way through the courts, we are proud that justice has been served and we have reached a positive resolution in this case,” Federici added. “We appreciate the diligent work of our attorneys at Handley Farah & Anderson Law Firm for pursuing this lawsuit and seeking justice for the victims of Union Kitchen’s illegal wage theft.”