30 Immigrants On Bikes Deliver A Labor Revolt N.Y. Workers Gain Allies in Protest of Wages, Conditions

By Anthony Faiola Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, August 25, 2007; A01

NEW YORK -- The deliverymen of Saigon Grill labored for years at the bottom of Manhattan's food chain. Biking swiftly down the avenues in biting cold and searing heat, they schlepped up high-rises and walk-ups with bags of steaming noodles and shrimp fried rice.

Then they surprised their bosses -- and others in this seen-it-all town -- by serving up something unexpected: a revolt.

The 30 men -- all immigrants, including undocumented workers frustrated with the poor conditions and low wages that are often a fact of life in America's underground economy -- banded together in an effort to unionize. They demanded an end to what they say were salaries less than half the minimum wage, and to penalties that included $20 fines for late deliveries and $50 for shutting the restaurant's glass doors with a bang.

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It's always a treat to read the 'comments' on an article like this, about taking jobs away from Americans. It would be refreshing to read some American guy's plea to have this job.

The arguments are the same and have always been the same. It's the 'neighborhood' argument--once you are safely in, everyone else is a blight.

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