Moe Is Less At Local Eatery

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Restaurateur Moe Hamdan (at left) used his new upscale DC eatery as his own personal piggy bank while leaving workers empty-handed, say former employees of The Reserve. According to one former manager who requested anonymity, Hamdan - who's the target of a demonstration by former workers and their supporters today at 5P - repeatedly "used workers wages for his own private expenses" while short-changing or not paying employees. Workers came to DC Jobs for Justice for help after not being paid for six months by Hamdan, who they say owes them over $10,000. "I worked really hard as a bar boy at this restaurant," says former Reserve employee Luis Ducas, "and the owner refuses to pay me my back wages." D.C. Jobs for Justice's Arturo Griffiths says Hamdan "owes more than just these workers" with another $15,000 in claims, for a total of at least $25,000 in unpaid wages. Hamdan "has no intentions of paying his workers or even meeting with them" says the former manager, "he is unethical, immoral, and has no remorse for what he has done."
- Boaz Young-El, AFL-CIO Union Summer Intern; photo courtesy The Reserve website