St. Charles manufacturer sued by Puerto Rican workers

February 2, 2009  St. Louis Post-Dispatch

By Ken Leiser

Fifteen workers employed at some Puerto Rico factories of a uniform company based in St. Charles have filed a lawsuit alleging violations of labor laws governing sick leave.

The workers are employed by Propper International Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of U.S. military uniforms. The employees filed the suit last week in Superior Court of Mayaguez. They are seeking a total of $225,000.

The workers contend they are being denied paid sick days granted under Puerto Rico's Law 180, and violation of other labor laws governing lunch breaks and vacation time. Unite Here, a union trying to organize the factory workers, said employees are entitled to one day of paid sick leave per month.

Propper provides no paid sick leave, the union said.

"Every time they get sick, they have to decide … if they go to the doctor or they go to the factory to work," said Victor Velez, a Unite Here organizer in Puerto Rico.

Propper Chief Executive Tom Kellim said the employees' legal claims are unfounded, and the lawsuit is a union ploy.

"Basically, it is an effort on the part of the union to entice our employees to sign cards by promising money from the spoils of the suit," Kellim said.

Kellim said the uniform manufacturer is operating under a mandatory decree that exempts the industry from the sick leave provision of Puerto Rican labor law. He said the company does provide vacation time for workers but could not say how many days.

Propper employs about 3,000 people at eight facilities in Puerto Rico. The company makes uniforms for all branches of the U.S. military. Kellim describes the pay and benefits as "exceptional for our industry." Kellim added that Unite Here officials have been at the Puerto Rico plants since May, "and they have not been able to get any traction."

Stephen Wishart, a Unite Here coordinator on the mainland, said that Propper has been "very negative" toward organizing efforts, including signs that stated, "Say no to the union."

After Unite Here filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, the company agreed to a settlement last fall, in which it promised to inform workers of their legal right to organize.