Thread: At least 2 workers fired after Indy's immigration rally

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... /604130468

At least 2 workers fired after Indy's immigration rally
By Tania E. Lopez
tania.e.lopez@indystar.com

Organizers of this week's massive immigration rally in Downtown Indianapolis said they have reports of nearly 20 demonstrators who say they were fired after they joined the march.

Tensions between employers and immigrants are unlikely to ease soon.

Organizers nationwide are calling on immigrants to skip work and school, buy nothing and sell nothing on May 1. Employers and schools are bracing now for the impact, but the Indiana Justice for Immigrants Coalition, which organized Monday's march, has not confirmed that Indiana will join the boycott.

Today, members of the Indiana Justice for Immigrants Coalition will go on the city's two Spanish-language radio stations to urge anyone who thinks they were wrongly terminated to come forward. Tedd Cain, an organizer with the coalition, said the group may sue the companies or take other action.

On Wednesday, The Indianapolis Star confirmed two cases in the metro area, and reports have surfaced in Detroit and Chicago of other firings after a recent series of protests.

Coalition leaders hope that confirming the local reports, which began surfacing Tuesday, will give them a tool to use against companies they accuse of treating illegal immigrants unfairly.

"Obviously, they know who they are hiring in the first place," said Ken Moran, a coalition organizer. "These are the players we are looking for, and they are raising their head and popping up, and we have the hammer."

Once the coalition finishes collecting the names of companies that sacked workers, Moran said, the group plans to make the list public.

An executive with an Indianapolis company that fired two workers this week said his firm followed its policies on attendance.

Delta Services is an environmental hazards removal and demolition company that requires 24-hour notice if an employee is going to miss work, Vice President Mike Horan said. He later said Delta has a written absenteeism and tardiness policy but declined to explain its specific requirements.

"I don't know the entire policy front to back," said Horan. "I'm not in charge of the enforcement of this policy."

Olga Aguilar said that if she'd known she'd lose her job at Delta over marching, she probably would have skipped the protest. She said she is a legal resident of Indianapolis.

Aguilar, 36, called her supervisor at Delta Services on Monday to ask for permission to attend the rally. She said her supervisor told her she would be given a warning if she missed her evening shift.

Tuesday, she and another co-worker who attended the rally were fired.

"We were the only two that went, out of the entire group," Aguilar said in Spanish. "If they told us they would fire us, we probably would not have gone, but they told us we'd get a warning."

Horan said her explanation is "totally fabricated."

In Detroit, 21 people were fired from their meat-cutter jobs after attending a protest for immigrant rights in March, according to The New York Times. Their employer, Wolverine Packing Co., says it warned employees that attending the protest without authorization could lead to termination, the Times reported. The workers denied they were ever warned.

Monday's protest in Indianapolis drew 20,000 marchers in what may have been the largest rally in the city's history. The throngs -- most dressed in white T-shirts symbolizing peace, and many waving U.S. flags -- far exceeded even the expectations of organizers, who had hoped to draw 10,000 to protest a U.S. House proposal to make illegal immigration a felony.

Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of marchers took to the streets in scores of cities to focus attention on immigration reform efforts.

Call Star reporter Tania E. Lopez at (317) 444-6494.

Today, members of the Indiana Justice for Immigrants Coalition will go on the city's two Spanish-language radio stations to urge anyone who thinks they were wrongly terminated to come forward. Tedd Cain, an organizer with the coalition, said the group may sue the companies or take other action.

it's amazing they don't want to respect our laws, but then they want OUR laws to protect them

Its about time they (companies) started to take a stand ... If the person is Illegal and they have a job Just how badley do they want that job if they can march against the very people that have hired them. Its kind of in Our(Americans) face type thing were(Illegals) Here and we Work and you cant Fire us because we demand Everything from you while We(Illegals) continue to Break your(Americas) laws and SUCK your system Dry.

Don't show up for work, ya get fired. Doesn't seem that complicated or unfair to me. Maybe these companies ought to consider further terminations--this time purely on lack of eligibility for employment.

Originally Posted by concernedmother

Don't show up for work, ya get fired. Doesn't seem that complicated or unfair to me. Maybe these companies ought to consider further terminations--this time purely on lack of eligibility for employment.

job abandonment is NOT a protected activity under any state or federal law for any citizen

I don’t have any sympathy for those companies who hire illegals. They think that illegals are better workers than us legal people, and then these illegals skip work and demand what they are not entitled to. What goes around comes around.
Let’s hope that these marches prove that hiring illegals is a liability.

We've been through the "What part of ILLEGAL immigrant don't you understand?".

Now we have to go through the "What part of YOU'RE FIRED for not coming to work don't you understand?".

Coalition leaders hope that confirming the local reports, which began surfacing Tuesday, will give them a tool to use against companies they accuse of treating illegal immigrants unfairly.

What a bunch of crap. Isn't it pretty much common knowledge that if you have a job, don't show up for work and don't have permission to miss work, you are subject to disciplinary action!!