http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=64547

Workers make a statement in the Valley
By Paul Giblin, Tribune
May 2, 2006
A massive work boycott Monday by Hispanic employees closed or slowed business at construction sites, restaurants, resorts and other workplaces across the Valley and the country.

Related Links
Watch reporter Nicole Birk's report
Immigrants try to extend momentum
Today's Top Stories
News

Instead of reporting to their jobs, between 2,000 and 2,500 workers demonstrated at four sites in Phoenix, marking the third high-profile public event in support of immigration reform since March 24.

Supporters waved U.S. flags and chanted in front of two Home Depot stores frequented by day laborers, Trevor Browne High School and IFCO Systems, a palletmanufacturing plant where 30 illegal immigrants were arrested by federal agents last month.

Still, the number of demonstrators fell significantly from the 20,000 people who marched along 24th Street in Phoenix on March 24, and the 100,000 who marched at the state Capitol on April 10.

About 700 people rallied in Tucson. More than 1,000 marched along a four-mile route in Yuma. And Bullhead City saw a 300-person march along three miles. They were all peaceful, and authorities said no arrests were made.

Approximately 250 people protested under heavy police protection at the IFCO plant, 250 S. 59th Ave., in a West Valley warehouse district. Larger crowds gathered outside the two Home Depots, with as many as 1,000 at Home Depot at 3609 E. Thomas Road.

As evening fell, several church groups and other organizations throughout the Valley led candlelight vigils to highlight the contributions and risks associated with the country’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

Demonstrators for the most part repeated their calls for federal laws that would provide guest worker permits for foreign nationals and offer a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already living in the United States.

In Washington, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said he expected the Senate will take up border security and immigration again before Memorial Day. The Senate had been working on a proposal last month but failed to reach an agreement before the Easter and Passover break.

Roberto Reveles, an organizer of the demonstrations, said lawmakers should dedicate themselves to finding a solution and stop using the issue for political purposes.

“The system is broken,” he said. “We need to recognize the reality of 11 million to 12 million people here without documentation.”

Phoenix resident Ana Garcia, 31, said she’s now raising her family without the support of her father, one of the IFCO employees who was arrested and deported to Mexico.

“We miss him. Without him, the family’s not complete,” she said through an interpreter. Her father, Jose Luis Garcia, 53, had lived in the U.S. for 10 years and had worked the past nine as a machine operator at IFCO, she said.

“He never committed a crime. He worked. He came home,” she said.

Timothy Schwartz, a Glendale construction worker, was one of two counterprotesters at IFCO. He held a sign that read, “If you’re not a legal U.S. citizen, you have NO rights! Stop this insane madness.”

He urged a few passers-by — mostly reporters and police officers — to buy a month’s worth of groceries to offset Monday’s economic boycott.

He said, “We need to say, ‘Enough is enough. Stop it. You’re going to show us? We’re going to show you.’ ”

Outside the Home Depot on Thomas Road, demonstrators crowded in front of signs that urged people not to pick up day laborers. They waved U.S. flags, chanted “U-S-A” and flashed peace signs to each other and passing motorists.

Political activist Alfredo Gutierrez used a bullhorn to rally support and to urge demonstrators not to engage a few counterdemonstrators who showed up on a day when temperatures climbed to 97 degrees.

One of the counterdemonstrators, Scottsdale resident John Louro, 43, unsuccessfully challenged the demonstrators to unspecified labor competitions.

“What makes you a harder worker than me?” shouted Louro, a professional petition circulator. “I didn’t know that it was an inherent gene within you that allows you to work harder than me.”

Meanwhile, business managers throughout the Valley tried to deal with the impacts of the economic boycott. Some beauty salons, bakeries and convenience stores closed for the day, while scattered office buildings and hotel rooms went uncleaned. Work stopped at many construction sites.

“Empty. Dead,” electrician Steve Parkerson said at a nearly completed strip mall near Power and Baseline roads in Mesa. Many immigrants simply didn’t show up, he said.

The boycott was obvious along Broadway Road between Country Club Drive and Gilbert Road in Mesa, a corridor that’s home to dozens of small private shops that cater to Hispanics.

Many Hispanic businesses that line Broadway were closed and traffic was light during the early morning hours when most Latino workers are heading out.

“Closed May 1. Please unite for the boycott,” said one sign in Spanish on the door of Discoteca Tania on Broadway. “Don’t buy anything. Don’t sell anything. Don’t send your children to school. Si se puede.”

Managers of other businesses that rely on Hispanic workers said they tried to balance their efforts to support employees while providing services to customers.

“We kept our stores open because we know that in many neighborhoods we are the only store, and we didn’t want to inconvenience our customers or cause any undue hardship,” said Bashas’ grocery stores spokeswoman Diana Bejarano-Medina.

At Someburros Mexican restaurants, workers were permitted to take the day off, but only a few opted to stay home, said owner Tim Vasquez.

“We are very lucky to have a lot who wanted to make a statement, but didn’t want to stick it to Someburros, because we treat them well,” he said.

That’s the opposite of what boycott organizers had hoped for. They had hoped the boycott would illustrate the Hispanic community’s economic strength.

Pacheco Diaz, a 33-year-old Mesa carpenter, was unhappy with those who did not participate. The people who say they are for the cause but still go to work are selfish and hypocritical, he said. “In order to fight, we all have to be united,” he said in Spanish.

At the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, about 20 of 450 employees asked for the day off, said spokeswoman Kim Cole. The rest staged a “Celebrate Diversity” lunch with ethnic foods and maps showing the birth country of the many immigrants that make up the hotel’s work force, she said.

At the Hyatt Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch, there was no absenteeism, said spokeswoman Ann Lane. Elsewhere in Scottsdale, the McDonald’s restaurant at 8001 E. Indian School Road had a sign on the front door that said it closed at 3 a.m. and would reopen on Tuesday at 7 a.m.

However, the drive-through lane was open and clogged with cars. The inconvenience didn’t pose a problem for the Miller family, who stopped by for french fries. “So now we go through the drive-through. No big hassle,” said mother Cathy Miller.

Representatives at East Valley school districts said the event had at least as much impact on attendance as the April 10 demonstration. For example, the absence rate exceeded 16 percent at the Tempe Elementary School District, said spokeswoman Monica Allread.