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Boulud settles discrimination suit

NEW YORK French chef Daniel Boulud has settled a federal lawsuit involving seven current and former employees of his landmark New York City restaurant who accused Boulud of discriminating against them by favoring white French workers for promotions.

The plaintiffs, natives of Latin America and Bangladesh, shared in a reported $80,000 financial settlement, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will oversee a series of standards and procedures that will be used to promote workers in the future. In addition, busboys and runners at Boulud’s restaurant Daniel will get an 8-percent raise and managers will take racial sensitivity courses.

“The management of restaurant Daniel is very pleased to have this matter resolved and to avoid the time and expense associated with mounting a defense,” Boulud said in a statement, referring to his award-winning midtown restaurant.

The case involving Boulud began in 2005 when the workers filed discrimination charges against him with the EEOC. That action was followed by a protest march at the restaurant organized by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, or ROC-NY. The federal lawsuit was filed last December, and Boulud then sued in a state court, accusing ROC-NY of defamation and harassment. Both suits were dismissed as a result of the settlement.

Saru Jayaraman, co-director of ROC-NY, said the agreement was “exciting” and “a step forward” for restaurant workers.

The settlement comes as ROC-NY is gearing up for an invitation-only meeting in Chicago this weekend to assess the possibility of extending the group's advocacy work nationwide, presumably by opening chapters in other cities. The invitation states that the gathering will feature a "discussion of what a national Movement of Restaurant Workers could look like," as well as "the steps required to make the movement a reality."

ROC-NY recently has found itself embroiled in a lawsuit involving eight former members over ownership of Colors, a cooperative venture the group established to give former Windows on the World employees an ownership stake in a restaurant enterprise. The workers are suing ROC-NY for allegedly reneging on the deal to offer them 20-percent ownership in the eatery.

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