Fast Food Workers Fired After Day Without Immigrants Protest Participation
Employees Claim Retaliation, Demand Compensation
DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX – A wave of sudden terminations at the Hat Creek Burger Company in Belterra Village has raised serious concerns about potential retaliation against immigrant employees who participated in the Day Without Immigrants protest on Monday, February 3. The decision, which affected seven workers and an assistant manager, has left employees demanding answers and compensation for lost wages and accrued benefits.
A Conversation About Consequences
According to employees, the chain of events began on Sunday, February 2, when Assistant Manager Francisco Perez engaged in a phone call with General Manager Silvia Valenzuela. During the conversation, Perez relayed concerns from seven employees who asked about the consequences of missing work to support the nationwide Day Without Immigrants protest. Valenzuela’s response focused on staffing for Monday’s shifts and clarified that any absence would result in a written reprimand in the employee’s file. She also requested a list of employees planning to participate.
Later that afternoon, employees received a text message from Valenzuela announcing that Monday would be Employee Appreciation Day, offering free meals and a $25 gift card to those in attendance. She also requested confirmation of participation. Two employees responded, thanking her for the offer but affirming their intent to support the protest. Valenzuela followed up with a warning, reiterating the company’s attendance policy and the stated consequence of a written reprimand.
From Reprimand to Termination
However, by Wednesday, February 5, employees who participated in the protest received an unexpected text message from District Manager Brandon Harris informing them of their termination. The message did not provide a reason for dismissal, only instructing employees to await further details from the Human Resources Department later.
Among those fired was Assistant Manager Francisco Perez, who had not participated in the Day Without Immigrants protest himself. According to Perez, he was told that his termination resulted from an investigation that determined he had instigated his staff to participate in the Day Without Immigrants protest. Yet, Perez asserts that no one from management—neither Valenzuela, Harris, nor the company’s HR department—ever questioned him about his involvement or allowed him to provide his account of events.
Workers Demand Answers and Compensation
The terminated employees, including Perez, now seek compensation for the time lost while searching for new jobs and payment for their accrued vacation time. “All we want is to be treated fairly,” said Perez. “If there was truly an investigation, I was never part of it. I was never given a chance to speak.”
The situation has sparked concerns among labor rights advocates, raising questions about whether Hat Creek Burger Company violated workers’ rights by escalating a disciplinary warning to termination.
Hat Creek Burger Company has not yet issued a public statement regarding the matter.
As the fired employees await further communication from HR, their case underscores a more considerable debate over workplace protections for immigrant workers and the right to protest without fear of retaliation.
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