http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/ ... oil-rises/

[quote]By Sewell Chan

Several leading public officials — including the city comptroller, William C. Thompson Jr., the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, and the Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer — gathered on the steps of City Hall this morning for a rally to protest the departure of immigrant workers from FreshDirect, the online grocery delivery service based in Queens.

The rally, organized by the New York City Central Labor Council of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., is the latest volley in a mounting protest against the company, which forced out at least 100 workers this month in advance of a unionization election and a review by federal immigration authorities.
Today, Mr. Thompson and United States Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, who represents parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, sent a letter to Julie L. Meyers, the assistant secretary of Homeland Security who oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They accused the agency of interfering with the unionization drive and demanding that the agency hold off on the review.

Also today, a representative of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York weighed in on the dispute. “The recent turmoil with FreshDirect and its workers is an obvious illustration of the need for comprehensive immigration reform that is just and humane,â€