Fight Jin Asian Cuisine!

by Mike Liu
12/114/07
updated 12/20/07

More information is coming out about the employers of Jin Asian Cuisine, a thousand-seat restaurant in Saugus, where an ongoing struggle is taking place.

The owners, Li Ling Lam and Ming Lam, have a history of abusing workers. Their New York restaurant, Jing Fong, had a multi-year history of complaints, that resulted in worker protests, lawsuits, and an eventual $1.1 million payment to 58 workers, and a promise to abide by employment laws.

Max Ng, a former employee of Jin and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said,. “When I started working I was a new immigrant, I didn’t know about many protections. It’s not fair that the restaurant is taking advantage of recent immigrants,”

Ng’s father, also a worker at the restaurant, was injured on the job and fractured several ribs. He and others have faced delays in receiving workers compensation, due to management intimidation and lack of cooperation. Workers report fatiguing workdays of up to 16 hours, often without legally mandated breaks.

The Sampan, a local paper, reported that the Lams have also been playing upon regional Chinese differences between Fujianese and Cantonese. They have promoted rumors that the Fujianese were stealing tips shared among all the workers. Workers have a pending lawsuit against the Lams.

Community Support is growing. The Chinese Progressive Association staff has been working on the issue mobilizing support. Students at the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Chinatown recently canceled a trip to the Jin Restaurant. A teacher there and participant in the Activist Training Institute reported that the students went beyond boycotting to vowing to mobilize other people to avoid the restaurant.

The Azine is one of a number of groups that are standing with the workers. Other groups include Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, VietAID, Centro Presente, American Friends Service Committee, Women’s Institute for Leadership Development, the Chelsea Collaborative, the Chelsea Latino Immigrant Committee, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, and Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon.

A negotiating session between the workers and the Lams has been rescheduled for Jan. 28th. Those who wish to support the workers by sending letters and calling the restaurant can contact

If you were able to call, please let us know at amee@cpaboston.org

For more info, please contact the Chinese Progressive Association at 617-357-4499 or amee@cpaboston.org

Send a fax to Jin Restaurant

Jin Workers Press Conference

Jin Asian Cusine in Saugus

Comments on this Article? Go to our forums