http://dcist.com/2011/05/fired_chipotle_workers_to_march_tod.php
Fired Chipotle Workers To March in Protest This Evening
Last month, we reported on a protest attended by several dozen people, including D.C. Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael A. Brown, regarding the the firing of approximately 40 workers from Chipotle's Columbia Heights, Woodley Park and Chinatown locations. Tonight, on the 20th anniversary of violent clashes between police and the Latino community in Mount Pleasant, the same group will march from Sacred Heart Church at 16th Street and Park Road NW to the Chipotle at 3113 14th Street NW in another demonstration against the mass firings.
If you'll recall, according to the workers who were let go, the firings were due to discrepancies in their employment authorization documents. The firings, the workers claim, occurred during a 30-minute break -- and when they returned from a back room, the fired workers found that their replacements had already started working behind the counter. The fired employees also allege that they were not offered any proper notice before or due compensation after the mass termination.
In new allegations, the workers now claim that the burrito chain has refused to meet with both Graham and Brown and has "told workers they could not even have a lawyer, organizer, or any other person present in order to discuss their demands." The church has taken up the workers' cause, collecting 400 letters and 7,000 signatures on a petition demanding Chipotle "treat their immigrant workforce with respect." The fired workers are sticking to their demands of a public apology and payment they claim would have been due had they been given time to correct their paperwork.
The federal government, meanwhile, has recently increased the scope of its investigation into Chipotle's nationwide hiring practices. Tonight's march will begin at 5:30 p.m.