A northeast Brooklyn tobacco sweatshop that produces “grabba” sold in local bodegas and smoke shops is under investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the state Department of Labor, according to the agencies.
In interviews with THE CITY, several migrant Ecuadorian women who work at the factory alleged enduring illness, from dizziness and fainting to fatigue and nausea, processing tobacco leaves for HotHead Grabba LLC. One said she experienced a urinary tract infection after being unable to take bathroom breaks for hours on end.
At least one worker submitted a complaint to OSHA, which triggered the probe by the federal safety agency. Multiple workers also submitted complaints to the state Department of Labor last month alleging that they work 13 hours a day, six days a week for the equivalent of $8 an hour — half of New York’s $16 hourly minimum wage. In their state complaints, multiple workers alleged that they were not paid at all for many of the hours they worked.
In response to messages sent by THE CITY to HotHead Grabba’s Instagram account, an unnamed representative pushed back on what they called “false allegations.”
“First and foremost we DO NOT HIRE. We allow anyone to come help out …this is growing street brand we are not a real company yet. We will continue to get helpers everyday because everyone is happy.”
They added: “This is a happy place for anyone to come help and make extra money for food and childcare we help so many people will not allow false allegation to deteriorate anyting. We have 100s of old helpers and new helpers that are ready to stand up for us.”
The representative added in a later message: “How can we ever owe someone thousands of dollars we don’t offer that kind of help here, it’s impossible so.”
OSHA spokesperson Ted Fitzgerald said that the agency opened its investigation into HotHead Grabba last Monday, and that an inspector visited the factory that morning. The inspection’s purpose “is to determine if the employer is complying with OSHA workplace safety and health standards,” he added.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Labor, Aaron Cagwin, said the agency is investigating the workers’ wage theft complaints.
One worker alleged in an interview with THE CITY that when a colleague asked about when she would receive missed wage payments, a supervisor threatened to call authorities and have her deported — a threat heard by the room.
THE CITY’s exposé of the conditions inside the Cypress Hills factory also drew responses from several local elected leaders.
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn), who represents the area, said on X that the workers’ allegations are “abhorrent” and said her office “has been in touch with relevant city agencies and is working to ensure these workers are protected.” The congresswoman’s office has been communicating with OSHA’s offices in Washington and New York, according to a source.
Local City Council member Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn) called the situation “disgusting” in an interview with THE CITY.
“This is a pretty serious situation,” she said. “These are the kinds of exploitative situations we always fear to hear about. Migrant workers have to work where they can, and that sometimes puts them in very vulnerable situations. It’s unacceptable, it really is unacceptable.”
“Grabba” is a form of tobacco commonly used for smoking with cannabis, or as a rolling leaf.
It’s not the first time OSHA’s regional office in New York has inspected a tobacco-related business for alleged safety hazards.
In 2013, the agency proposed fines totaling nearly $185,000 to a Lakewood, N.J. e-cigarette factory for a litany of occupational hazards, including not providing protective equipment to workers handling concentrated nicotine and corrosive chemicals.
The company settled with OSHA for a $97,500 penalty, records show.