WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — It took the intervention of the state's top lawyer, but New York's most famous pizza deliverymen are going back to work.
Twenty-five disgruntled Domino's Pizza deliverymen will be able to return to their jobs after State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman secured a deal with the employer, 3683 Washington Heights Pizza, LLC.
“Because of this agreement, 25 workers will be back to work in time for the holidays," Schneiderman said in a statement.
The saga of the pizza men began on Dec. 5, when 20 of them left work at their 181st Street pizzeria to participate in a workers' rights march in Washington Heights and in Foley Square. Two days later, several workers said they were given extra shifts in the kitchen, taking from them the chance to earn valuable tips. When the workers complained, they were told to quit if they were unhappy.
And that's when two dozen of them walked off the job.
"We decided to talk to the manager, and the manager said 'If you don't like it, the door's open,'" delivery worker Bairon Solorzano, told DNAinfo New York Monday night. "So we all walked out."
The workers, who make $5.65 per hour, were turned away when they showed up the following morning and have since become a rallying point for community politicians, organizers and elected officials. The neighborhood held nightly candlelight vigils in front of the pizzeria, and outraged elected officials vowed to keep pressure up until the deliverymen were reinstated.
Now, under the terms of the agreement, the workers will be back on the job by Sunday at the latest.
New York State law limits the amount of hours delivery workers can spend in positions that do not receive tips, Schneiderman's office said. It also prevents Dominos from retaliating against them if they make "good faith" complaints to the management.
“New York’s labor laws exist to ensure the protection and fair treatment of employees in the workplace. My office will take swift action where there is any indication that an employer may have retaliated against workers for complaining about illegal labor conditions," he said.
