San Jose Grocery Workers Launch Hunger Strike To Protest Firings
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Former Mi Pueblo supermarket workers in San Jose are embarking on a two-day hunger strike to protest what they say are unjust firings of 300 workers. Mi Pueblo is a San Jose-based Latino supermarket chain with 3,000 employees total.
Many employees, including forklift operator Antonio Martinez, claim they were let go without notice.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
"There is no way to feed my family and I've got five kids, and my wife," said Martinez. "I have to find a new job. That's why I'm here, because I need my job back."
Unfortunately for those workers, the jobs aren't likely coming back. Company spokeswoman Perla Rodriguez said 150 workers needed to be cut because of the economy.
"In the grocery business we live on very small margins, and it is really up to us to make sure that we're protecting our company and our workforce," said Rodriguez. "If we don't react quickly, we may not be here to tell our story, like PW Markets (which closed) last year or Cosentino's, or Su Vianda our Latino supermarket competitor."
(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
