Vol. 75/No. 21      May 30, 2011

Some 50 former employees and their supporters participated in the rally and marched through the neighborhood. A petition with more than 7,000 signatures supporting the workers was delivered to restaurant managers.

Miguel Bravo worked at Chipotle for a year and a half before he and 15 others were fired in March. He said workers were called into a back room at break time by the bosses.

They were told they were fired because the restaurant could not employ anyone without papers permitting them to work in the country. When the meeting was over, their replacements—no Latinos—were on the job.

Chipotle didn’t give the fired workers their last paycheck or pay any vacation time owed to them. No one was given an opportunity to defend their immigration status. Some had worked for the restaurant for six years.

“If we have papers or not—that’s not the issue,” Bravo said. “What we want is the money they owe us.”

As the march made its way through the busy commercial district on 14th Street, hundreds of passersby stopped to watch and take pictures. Many greeted the demonstrators with cheers and waves while a handful joined in.

“I support them” said Tonya Weaver, an African American who lives in the neighborhood. “They work hard. They deserve to be treated fairly like anyone.”
 
 
Related articles:
Union officials in Connecticut submit to cuts
Picket in Keokuk, Iowa, backs locked-out workers
Pennsylvania: Health workers fight union busting  
 
 
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