- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
The fallout of the controversial Arizona immigration law, SB 1070, continues to affect the local restaurant industry in not-so-subtle ways.
The latest incident involves a Pei Wei Asian Diner in Chandler (54th St/Ray Rd) that fired nearly half of its roughly 30 employees after they ditched work to attend a May 29 protest of the law, reports the Republic.
While the Scottsdale-based company maintains that the group of 12 Hispanic cooks, bussers and dishwashers violated its attendance policy and disrupted the restaurant's service, the workers argue that they were unfairly terminated, based on earlier incidents where employees skipped work and were simply reprimanded.
Although the workers were not members of the Phoenix branch of the Industrial Workers of the World, the union is lending its support to their cause, calling Pei Wei's actions selective enforcement of company policy.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.