Palermo's Pizza


Palermo's Pizza is a brand of frozen pizza manufactured by Palermo Villa Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Palermo's frozen pizzas are available in grocery stores and big box retailers in almost every state, and online through the company's web site. The company operates a research and development team including a food scientist — and manufactures private label or house brand pizzas for other companies.

History

The company was started by Sicilian immigrants Gaspare "Jack" and Zina Fallucca who opened an Italian bakery on Milwaukee's east side in 1964. The Falluccas opened Palermo Villa restaurant in 1969, but sold it in 1979, when they began to manufacture and sell frozen pizzas. Today, the company is led by Giacomo, Angelo and Laurie Fallucca.

Distribution

Palermo's sells a family of frozen pizzas under its Primo Thin, Hearth Italia, Rustico, Breakfast Pizza, Classics by Palermo's product lines. Through its private label distribution, the company also supplies frozen pizzas for numerous major supermarket chains, which then sell the pizzas under their store brands.
Palermo Villa Inc. sponsors several collegiate and professional sports teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Admirals, Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Wave, Marquette Golden Eagles, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Iowa State Cyclones, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
In fall 2009, Palermo Villa Inc. announced plans to expand its existing company headquarters in the Menomonee River Valley.
In September 2009, Palermo's Pizza appeared on an episode of The Food Network's Unwrapped. In January 2010, the company also appeared on an episode of Factory Made on the Discovery Channel and The Science Channel.

Trademark infringement claim

In March 2007, Palermo Villa Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Trader Joe's in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee. The frozen pizza manufacturer claimed the grocery chain was trading the Palermo's Pizza brand unfairly under the name Pizza Palermo. The two companies reached a settlement in July 2007 leading Palermo Villa to pursue no further action. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public.

Labor dispute

On June 1, 2012, about 100 or half of Palermo's workers went on strike to protest the firing of nearly all 89 immigrant workers lacking necessary documentation in what striking workers claim to be retaliation for signing a petition to form a union, as well as what they said were poor wages and working conditions. The strikers have picketed outside the factory, chanting, “No justice, no pizza.”
Activist groups such as the Overpass Light Brigade, and Voces de la Frontera have supported and picketed with the strikers, as well as Labor unions across the United States who called for a boycott of Palermo's products.

Progress

On August 31, 2012, Palermo CEO Giacomo Fallucca and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka met to discuss issues and concerns, but the meeting yielded no progress on the strike. Palermo's officials counter strikers' claims saying that the company acted to terminate employment of workers lacking specific documentation in response to warnings it had received from federal immigration authorities to fire unauthorized workers or face hefty fines.
In November 2012, the National Labor Relations Board ruled in the 5-month-old strike that it had found that the company acted lawfully when it terminated 75 workers as part of an immigration audit and did not use the audit as retaliation for the workers' efforts to form a union, but that Palermo's did violate federal law when it fired nine workers, including two temporary workers, in retaliation for engaging in or supporting the strike and union activity.