FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com AUGUST 11, 2016 • The Queens Courier 21 Employees strike outside of Bayside’s Food Universe against ‘unfair treatment’ By Briana Ellis bellis@qns.com @briinformed Workers at a Bayside supermarket joined colleagues around the city in taking their frustration with their employer to the streets. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342 (Local 342) is conducting an unfair labor practice strike against certain Key Food and Food Universe stores. The labor union submitted a series of complaints to the National Labor Relations Board in June, which were honored and scheduled for trial in September. The charges are being filed against the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), parent company of all Pathmark, Waldbaum’s and Food Universe grocery stores. A&P filed for bankruptcy in July 2015, resulting in laying off Key Food workers and more. According to Kate McDowell, communications specialist at Local 342, the allegations include A&P’s failure to abide by their contract with union workers who collectively bargained with the representatives. A&P allegedly terminated and discriminated against union employees and failed to rehire them. Furthermore, Key Food workers had their hours and wages reduced in certain circumstances while some employees faced demotion. “As a Local 342, our stance is that we expect the Key Food owners to bargain collectively with us in good faith and to reinstate the employees who they have wrongfully terminated and discriminated against for participating in union activity,” McDowell told The Courier. The union has turned their injustice to action by striking outside of several Food Universe locations throughout Bayside, Jackson Heights, Brooklyn and Staten Island. McDowell added that most landlords of the supermarkets have told the strikers to protest outside of the fence, while the Staten Island branch allowed strikers to stand in front of the store. “We’ve received an incredible community response in all the areas where we’ve been striking and we’re very grateful for their support of the Key Food workers,” she said. The Courier contacted Key Food Stores Cooperative and they refused to comment. Photo courtesy of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342 Local 342 union workers are striking against their Key Food employers for unfair treatment. Roselyn Siegfried Of Flushing House Celebrates 106th Birthday! Roselyn Siegfried, the longest living resident of Flushing House, will celebrate her 106th birthday in August! The joyous occasion will bring family members together for her birthday bash on Sunday, August 28th, up on the spectacular Roof Top Lounge of Flushing House. Roselyn was born in Steubenville, Ohio on August 29th, 1910. Her family moved to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where Roselyn grew up. At the age of 19, Roselyn and a female friend left Pittsburgh and moved to Brooklyn, New York. And, despite being the height of the Depression, Roselyn was always able to find work there as a legal secretary. Moving from the Hotel St. George in Brooklyn, Roselyn settled on the upper West Side where she met her future husband, Harold Siegfried, known to one and all as “Artie.” After Roselyn and Artie were married in 1938, they were blessed with the birth of their daughter Renee. In 1940, they moved to Utopia Parkway in Fresh Meadows, and lived there until Artie retired in 1980. Then it was off to Florida and Sunrise Lakes, where the couple spent days canoeing in the Everglades and socializing with friends. They remained in Florida until Artie showed symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, so they decided to relocate back to New York, where they moved to Flushing House on June 6, 1991 and lived there for several months, before her beloved Artie passed away. Having made many new friends at Flushing House, Roselyn decided to stay. She has enjoyed her many years at Flushing House, participating in its many activities. During a few recent visits to nearby Flushing Hospital, the nurses and doctors made special trips to her room to find out her secrets, to both her long life and her good looks! She was quick to tell them she has “20/20 vision, perfect hearing, and all her own teeth.” She attributes this to daily exercise and vitamins. At Flushing House, Roselyn enjoys spending quality time with her daughter Renee and her two grandchildren, Suzanne and David, and especially her two great-grandchildren, Noah (13) and Eve (10). Built in 1974, Flushing House is the largest nonprofit retirement community in New York State, one of the first to offer older adults “Independent Living” along with supportive services on premises. The address is: 38-20 Bowne Street, Flushing, New York 11354. Go to www.flushinghouse.com for more information. Roselyn Siegfried
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