No Pay No Way: Stopping Wage Theft in Port Chester, NY

In a huge win for the No Pay No Way campaign, a Port Chester, NY, restaurant has been ordered in pay $47,000 in back wages.

Elisa Parto, owner of Elisa's Food & Plus, pleaded guilty to failing to pay several cooks, cleaners and cashiers minimum wage and overtime between 2010 and 2014, announced New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.

"This is a great victory for the workers involved and the Don Bosco Workers organization. Don Bosco Workers and CWA Local 1103 fight for all workers, including those who are at the greatest risk for wage theft," said CWA Local 1103 President Kevin Sheil. "The result of the case is validation that we were right in identifying wage theft as a huge problem in our community, and now we need to expand upon these efforts to include other communities."

More than a year ago, CWA Local 1103 and the Don Bosco Workers' Center, a grassroots community-organizing group led by Latino immigrant day laborers and other low-income workers, joined forces to launch No Pay No Way. Together, they vowed to make Port Chester a no tolerance zone for wage theft. Since then, dozens of businesses have proudly displayed "Good Workplace" decals in their storefront windows, pledging that they follow all wage-and-hour laws.

To learn more, check out the campaign's Facebook page.

Workers protest outside the courtroom while the wage theft case was being heard.