WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 4, 2025) – Today, the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 Union announced it has reached a settlement with Union Kitchen and its owner, Cullen Gilchrist, in a lawsuit against the company for illegally withholding workers’ tips in violation of DC law.
“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 Mark Federici, President of UFCW Local 400. “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.”
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 D.C. stores intended for employees.
The lawsuit ultimately resulted in a $133,333.34 settlement 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 settlement is meant as compensation for workers who came forward to claim payment for tips that were alleged to be wrongly withheld from them when they worked at Union Kitchen,” said Nicholas Jackson, attorney for the worker plaintiffs.
This is not the first time Union Kitchen and Mr. 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 workers’ right to form a union under federal law. Employees at five Union Kitchen locations in DC and Virginia unionized in June of 2022.
“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,” said Mr. Federici. “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.”
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United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 represents 35,000 members working in the grocery, retail, health care, food processing, service and other industries in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. www.ufcw400.org