A Brooklyn-based kosher food manufacturer has agreed to a $1.075 million settlement stemming from charges that it violated state and federal labor laws.

New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer announced Wednesday that employees would be compensated for unpaid wages. Under the terms of a the settlement brokered by Spitzer’s office, the Tuv Taam Corporation will pay the money, including $215,000 in damages, to 200 workers.

An investigation by Spitzer’s office revealed that from 1996 to 2001 the corporation failed to pay workers minimum wage or to supply compensation for overtime. According to a statement released by Spitzer’s office, Tuv Taam employees received as little as $4 an hour and received no overtime pay while working as many as 70 hours per week. The investigation also found that Tuv Taam did not maintain correct payroll records during that period.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Workers will file claims with Spitzer’s office. The levels of compensation will depend on how many individuals come forward.

“This settlement will not only reimburse the workers, but put in place basic reforms to ensure that workers are compensated fairly,” Spitzer said in a statement.

Tuv Taam, located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, produces kosher foods such as blintzes, pickles, prepared salads, hummus and other items.

The company did not return a call seeking comment.

The settlement was hailed in a joint statement from the Latin American Workers’ Project and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Education Fund.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount