Wage and Hour Compliance Improving in Kosher Food Industry
Last year’s revelations regarding certain common immigration and wage and hour violations within the kosher meat processing industry has led social justice groups within the Jewish community to take responsive action. Motivated mainly by Jewish legal and ethical imperatives, these groups are seeking to acquaint kosher processors with the law and prevent violations, like those notably discovered at the Agriprocessors plant located in Iowa last year.
Among the steps they have taken is to devise a new “ethical seal” of approval for display by kosher restaurants and eating establishments. One such seal is known as “Tav HaYosher,” and is intended to indicate the establishment’s adherence to wage and hour law, particularly in the areas such as minimum wage, overtime pay, work breaks and tip distribution for those employees who mainly rely on tips.
Reflecting its ethical component, the seal also conveys that the workers are treated humanely. The seal would be provided to establishments that meet detailed guidelines, and may include detailed inspections similar to those that are conducted in Israel by trained compliance monitors. A companion effort geared to kosher food manufacturers would place a “Hekhsher Tzedek” seal on food that is manufactured in accordance with the kosher laws as well as underlying Jewish ethical standards.
Much has been made of the need to comply with federal and state wage and hour laws in order to avoid employee lawsuits, agency audits, and diminished employee morale. Although these practical considerations should be reason enough to motivate employers to comply with the law, needless to say, that is not always the case. The soul-searching engendered in certain portions of the Jewish community after the alleged processing plant abuses came to light suggest that ethical and moral considerations might provide certain employers with a separate (and perhaps more powerful) motivation to follow civil laws related to paying workers properly and treating them with dignity.
