They were protesting against the Marietta Corporation outside the firm's plant on East 138th Street. Some workers, speaking in Spanish, said they support family members and fear losing their jobs.
Workers and spokespersons accuse Marietta of harassing and intimidating workers by asking them to re-verify their employment
"They use this as a tactic to fire workers," said Ana Guajardo, Workers Project director. "They re-hire workers, temporary workers, paying them less benefits, no vacation time as the workers mentioned. So that is a tactic that the company uses to be able to get rid of workers, recycle them, and hire new workers at a lower cost."
"They're being fired. And we stand with them in their struggle for justice...This is unethical. It's unjust," said Our Lady of Guadalupe Pastor Carl Quebedeaux.
In a statement, Marietta Corporation said, it cannot verify that 15 of its employees are legally entitled to work in this country.
The statement added: "These employees were notified of a discrepancy in their work eligibility documentation and have been given a reasonable amount of time to address their situation. Some have already done so."
