Many businesses are rescheduling shifts, planning to work with skeleton crews or closing altogether Monday, a planned national day of action for immigrants and their supporters.
One of the state’s largest meat processing plants, Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, has shifted production from Monday to Saturday in support of the workers’ attendance at planned rallies. The plant can process up to 4,500 cattle a day. Of the facility’s 1,900 employees, 70 percent are Latino.
“Cargill opposes what has employees most concerned: House Bill 4437,” said Mark Klein, spokesman for Cargill Meat. “We support some of the initiatives in the Senate that would have provided a system for earned legalization and better tools for companies to verify employment eligibility.”
Rallies are planned nationwide Monday – May 1, a historic and traditional day for labor protests – to show opposition to federal proposals that would make being undocumented a felony, build a wall along the United States’ southern border and provide no way for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to become legal residents.
Organizers are asking immigrants and supporters to refrain from spending money, to take the day off work if they can and to wear white.
Working with employers
Nationally, foreign-born workers made up about 15 percent of the workforce in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Forty-nine percent of the foreign-born labor force was Latino, and 22 percent was Asian
In Denver, organizers are encouraging employees to work with their employers on creative ways to be able to attend the rally downtown.
Jesus Jimenez, a downtown janitor and a member of Service Employees International Union Local 105, helped negotiate deals with several employers for workers to attend the rally. Some are getting the day off, while others, such as Jimenez, are working half shifts.
“They (lawmakers) want to criminalize those who came here illegally and even those who are here legally because they help others,” Jimenez said. “It doesn’t matter who has papers or not; that is why we want to bring attention to the fact that we are working on May 1.”
Staffers at the Mountain States Employers Council in Denver have been taking calls from members trying to plan for employee absences. Many of the calls have come from the service and manufacturing sectors, which have a greater proportion of immigrant workers, said David Zwisler, director of labor relations for the council.
“Most employers don’t want to be closed on May 1 because of this issue, but some are recognizing that given their demographics, they may not be able to fight it,” Zwisler said.
The council is urging its members to talk with their employees in advance and to be consistent in enforcing their employee-absence policies.
While the group said some companies may be within their rights to terminate workers for insubordination if they don’t show up when they have specifically been asked to do so, the group is also urging its members to consider the ramifications of such actions.
Planning for short staff
Jeanette Blanco-Wellers, president of Silvercool Roofing Service in Commerce City, has told her 35 employees they don’t have to come in Monday.
“We do not hire any illegal aliens, but because I am an immigrant myself, I think I would be a liar not to support immigration,” said Blanco-Wellers, who came to the United States from El Salvador.
Other contractors said they’re not expecting much of an impact Monday.
“I’m not expecting that we’ll have a lot of disruption. The people that have good jobs are going to show up for work,” said Kim Haarberg, past president of the Colorado Contractors Association.
In the health care field, managers have been planning for May 1 to ensure care for residents while allowing employees to attend the planned rallies, said Arlene Miles, president of the Colorado Health Care Association.
At Broomfield Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, administrator Tim Heronimus allowed those who want the day off to ask others to fill their shifts.
He heard employees talking about wanting to attend and called a meeting to discuss how to make it work for everyone. About a dozen employees, all of them immigrants and U.S.-born Latinos, are taking the day off.
“They talked about the importance of supporting their culture and society, but also about our responsibility to our residents,” Heronimus said.
“It was difficult for me to think about leaving work when people depend on us,” said Ana Vargas, a certified nurse’s aide who works at the Broomfield center. Vargas got someone to cover her shift and will work Sunday to make up the hours.
“The reality is that nobody knows what it is like until you live it. We have to seek a way to support those who are affected,” she said.
Officials at Pizza Patrón Inc., a take-out pizza chain catering to Spanish-speaking customers, are prepared to shutter their stores if a majority of employees don’t show up Monday.
The Dallas-based company, which has locations in Aurora and Lakewood, won’t decide until Monday. If it does close, it’s likely that employees would still be paid, said Andy Gamm, director of brand development for Pizza Patrón.
Relying on managers
Other restaurant operators expect to stay open and will rely on managers and other staff members to cover shifts for those who participate in the demonstrations.
“We are supportive if they want to demonstrate to show their support for the issue,” said John Puterbaugh, vice president of human resources for Boulder- based Noodles & Co.
“We would hope they would extend us the courtesy of planning that in advance rather than take the position of doing a no- call no-show.”
Staff writer Elizabeth Aguilera can be reached at 303-820-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
Handling absences
Highlights of advice that employer groups are giving to members about handling employee absences Monday:
Try to work with employees to reach compromises.
Consider legal ramifications and the possibility of negative publicity based on how you treat employees.
Discipline for absences should be consistent with your regular attendance policy.
Employers with a union agreement that contains a no-strike clause may face a different set of issues. Some unions have been encouraging their members to stay away from work that day. If your employees do stay away from work and your no-strike clause gives you the right to terminate under these conditions, you can terminate the employees.
Be careful when disciplining employees who miss work to attend a rally. There are potential legal issues.
Compiled from lists sent by the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition and the Mountain States Employers Council.
