The following article appeared in today’s Times Herald Record:
Employees at the former Raleigh Hotel say the owners left them in the lurch for weeks, refusing to pay them wages, even while the hotel continued to take guests.
Some 13 employees gathered by the security gate of the hotel on Thursday evening and planned to stage a sit-in on Friday in the lobby.
Maids, security guards and three salaried employees hadn’t been paid since Oct. 2.
Employees also said they consistently were treated poorly and have had their paychecks delayed several times over the past year.
“Mister, this is the only income I’ve got,” said maid Priscilla Reynolds, who has an 8-month-old and a 4-year-old at home.
‘”I do all what they say, and I can’t get any money. Right now, I’m starving. I am running out of food.”
Other employees said they needed money for rent, and one employee said she had no money for prescription drugs. Most of the employees are owed $800 to $1,000.
Many of the employees have been with the hotel for two years, but are afraid to leave. “They know they have us by the neck because there is no work out there,” security guard Bill McQueeny said.
The hotel is now owned by Ralhal LLC of Brooklyn, largely catering to an ultra- Orthodox Jewish clientele. Last week, the hotel hosted 200 guests during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The 320-room hotel, which has been open through the fall most weekends, also recently took guests of festival, which was held at Kutsher’s.
General Manager Ari Friedman said the Brooklyn office was closed during the two weeks of the Sukkot and Simchat Torah holidays. A payroll company sent paychecks to that office, but nobody was there to mail them to the employees.
He said the same thing happened last year, but other than these two times, the workers were paid on time. Employees were to get checks on Friday.
“My workers are basically happy there,” Friedman said.
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15 Responses
Always leave it to to that anti-semitic rag that published this, to try to stir the pot from nothing.
I do not want to take sides here but yom tov isn’t an excuse not to pay employees. I personally only work on chol hamoed of there is an emergency. I still make sure all bills get paid a head of time.
“General Manager Ari Friedman said the Brooklyn office was closed during the two weeks of the Sukkot and Simchat Torah holidays. A payroll company sent paychecks to that office, but nobody was there to mail them to the employees.”
HOW PATHETIC IS THAT??!!!
There are many, many honest frum businessman, including myself, who have non-Jewish employees and somehow “get it done”.
There is no excuse whatsoever for this tremendous Chillul Hashem! Shame!!
P.S. Besides the Chillul Hashem, it’s not good for business either, genius.
And Yeshiva World, I’m surprised at your headline: “Impatient Employees At Raleigh Hotel Run To Media For Attention”..
“Impatient”?? Don’t employees have a right to get paid on time despite our Yomim Tovim? Where’s the Yashrus??
Please change the headline to reflect the standards that I’m sure you stand for.
True or not, right or wrong, how is this article not blatant loshen hora?
Does “Yeshiva World news” have the right to cause us readers to be oiver serious aveiros?
I know there are “heteirim” like it was already published in a small goyishe newspaper. At the same time, I don’t appreciate being a victim to reading slanderous reports on other yiden that I have nothing to do with.
The whole point of Yeshiva world news is, I thought, that we don’t have to be exposed to goyishe media and still get pertinent information regarding jews. This is not pertinent to me or most people and can harm the hotels business. If I want to read every piece of garbage out there I’ll read CNN.
I BELIEVE I LEARNED SOMEWHERE IN THE TORAH THAT YOU MUST PAY YOUR WORKERS ON TIME–AM I MISSING A RASHI THAT SAYS OTHERWISE?
Um, I think when the Torah tells you to pay your workers on time, it doesn’t give any exceptions. It’s on the owners to figure out a way–pay in advance if you have to–not on the employees to be “patient.”
To #1: Mussar can come in many forms. Don’t ignore just because you don’t like the messenger.
the not working on chol hamoed is a very poor excuse not to pay workers on time and unfortunately is used quite often by frum balai batim. just ask many frum therapists and special ed teachers who have not been paid for the months of September and October because the paperwork needed by the state couldn’t be finished due to being closed on chol hamoed.the halachos of paying workers on time and paying bederech kovod do not exist any more.
People, this is the Times we’re talking about. Yes, the owner should have payed on time, but don’t you think the Times is typically making a big deal out of nothing?
mw13 – You think being over a d’oraisa (albiet it’s the hotelier own problem not ours) of paying his employees late, and the added chilul Hashem, as he did it twice to his employees! Had it been the first time, you can let him slide, but twice!
Sorry, this is a bit more than nothing.
Halacha regarding paying is relevant to paying Yidden. This point is made to those who keep referring to this halacha.
Clearly Joseph is no posek.
YWN, you should be ashamed of running this headline. It is not “impatient” to expect to be paid on time. It is basic halacha, basic mentshlekeit, and a basic standard of right and wrong accepted throughout this great country.
The appropriate response would have been “I’m sorry.” The company should start getting their game plan ready for Pesach. The chagim don’t come as a surprise, they are already on the calendar.
I addressed those claiming the halacha requiring paying by the end of the week applies to nochrim. It does not.
charlie,
No, its attitudes as yours that begets replacing Torah and halacha with political correctness and current public opinion.
As far as anti-semitism, the gentile is by nature an anti-semite and needs no “justifications.” That is the rule. The non-anti-semites are the exception.