Protesters rally at 37th Ave. opening

Jose Peralta

As reported by the Queens Chronicle:

Citing a “broken promise” to rehire union workers, Jackson Heights residents, union members and elected officials staged a protest on Wednesday outside a new supermarket on 37th Avenue set to open this week.

Standing next to a giant inflatable rat, protesters pledged to boycott Global Supermarket at 75-07 37 Ave. over the choice of the new owner, Mohammad Haque, not to rehire union workers of Local 338 and Local 342 who were unexpectedly fired two weeks before Christmas by Frank Jaber, the owner of the former Trade Fair.

On Dec. 10 Jaber fired 50 employees and sold the store to Haque on Dec. 11.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), who attended the protest said, “The new owner said he planned to hire at least some of the old workers back. Not a single one of them has been hired. We’re here to let the new ownership know that, with our voices and our wallets, we will be seeking justice for the exploited workers.”

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