A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit led to Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City telling 31 longtime workers to produce new employment documents or be fired. (Photo: AP)
Apr 21, 2017
Four people were arrested Friday after they chained themselves to a delivery truck in support of immigrant workers at a Queens, New York bakery, who face a mass firing due to President Donald Trump's policies.
The protest, dubbed "A Day Without Bread," was organized to protest Trump's hard-line stance on immigration. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit led to Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City telling 31 longtime workers to produce new employment documents or be fired. Friday is the extended deadline.
In response, workers walked off the job on what was due to be their final shift, and chained themselves to trucks overnight to halt a scheduled bread delivery Friday morning. More than 100 supporters rallied outside the bakery as the employees shared stories of facing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and working at Tom Cat for decades.
"Immigrants: they feed us all, no borders, no wall," they chanted, holding signs that read, "No ICE or No Bread."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support for the protest, writing, "New York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period."
Fight for $15, the nationwide movement for a $15 minimum wage, also tweeted, "We believe in a fair and humane immigration system that's why we're standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread."
Around the city, businesses put up posters in solidarity with the workers.
\u201cNYers are amazing! More immigrant businesses standing with workers at Tom Cat's bakery who are being targeted by ICE! #DayWithoutBread\u201d— Widad (@Widad) 1492750037
\u201cNew York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period. https://t.co/FiQPA7ghry\u201d— Mayor Eric Adams (@Mayor Eric Adams) 1492791129
\u201cWe believe in a fair and humane immigration system that\u2019s why we\u2019re standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread https://t.co/Ztm139KGNj\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1492779602
Another supporter, Gabriel Morales, told NBC News, "The racist, the xenophobic Trump has really broken our nation's immigration system."
Tom Cat supplies bread to numerous fine dining restaurants and hotels in New York City. It employs about 180 people in Long Island City.
Osias Davila, an employee of the bakery, toldDemocracy Now, "There are workers who have been here for 10 years, 18 years, and so it's unjust that Tom Cat treats us this way after we have given so much to the company to grow. It's a very large business with a lot of production. So what we're asking for at this time is that there's justice and that they stand up for their workers."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Four people were arrested Friday after they chained themselves to a delivery truck in support of immigrant workers at a Queens, New York bakery, who face a mass firing due to President Donald Trump's policies.
The protest, dubbed "A Day Without Bread," was organized to protest Trump's hard-line stance on immigration. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit led to Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City telling 31 longtime workers to produce new employment documents or be fired. Friday is the extended deadline.
In response, workers walked off the job on what was due to be their final shift, and chained themselves to trucks overnight to halt a scheduled bread delivery Friday morning. More than 100 supporters rallied outside the bakery as the employees shared stories of facing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and working at Tom Cat for decades.
"Immigrants: they feed us all, no borders, no wall," they chanted, holding signs that read, "No ICE or No Bread."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support for the protest, writing, "New York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period."
Fight for $15, the nationwide movement for a $15 minimum wage, also tweeted, "We believe in a fair and humane immigration system that's why we're standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread."
Around the city, businesses put up posters in solidarity with the workers.
\u201cNYers are amazing! More immigrant businesses standing with workers at Tom Cat's bakery who are being targeted by ICE! #DayWithoutBread\u201d— Widad (@Widad) 1492750037
\u201cNew York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period. https://t.co/FiQPA7ghry\u201d— Mayor Eric Adams (@Mayor Eric Adams) 1492791129
\u201cWe believe in a fair and humane immigration system that\u2019s why we\u2019re standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread https://t.co/Ztm139KGNj\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1492779602
Another supporter, Gabriel Morales, told NBC News, "The racist, the xenophobic Trump has really broken our nation's immigration system."
Tom Cat supplies bread to numerous fine dining restaurants and hotels in New York City. It employs about 180 people in Long Island City.
Osias Davila, an employee of the bakery, toldDemocracy Now, "There are workers who have been here for 10 years, 18 years, and so it's unjust that Tom Cat treats us this way after we have given so much to the company to grow. It's a very large business with a lot of production. So what we're asking for at this time is that there's justice and that they stand up for their workers."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Four people were arrested Friday after they chained themselves to a delivery truck in support of immigrant workers at a Queens, New York bakery, who face a mass firing due to President Donald Trump's policies.
The protest, dubbed "A Day Without Bread," was organized to protest Trump's hard-line stance on immigration. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit led to Tom Cat Bakery in Long Island City telling 31 longtime workers to produce new employment documents or be fired. Friday is the extended deadline.
In response, workers walked off the job on what was due to be their final shift, and chained themselves to trucks overnight to halt a scheduled bread delivery Friday morning. More than 100 supporters rallied outside the bakery as the employees shared stories of facing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and working at Tom Cat for decades.
"Immigrants: they feed us all, no borders, no wall," they chanted, holding signs that read, "No ICE or No Bread."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his support for the protest, writing, "New York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period."
Fight for $15, the nationwide movement for a $15 minimum wage, also tweeted, "We believe in a fair and humane immigration system that's why we're standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread."
Around the city, businesses put up posters in solidarity with the workers.
\u201cNYers are amazing! More immigrant businesses standing with workers at Tom Cat's bakery who are being targeted by ICE! #DayWithoutBread\u201d— Widad (@Widad) 1492750037
\u201cNew York City's local labor laws cover low-wage workers and immigrants, regardless of status. Period. https://t.co/FiQPA7ghry\u201d— Mayor Eric Adams (@Mayor Eric Adams) 1492791129
\u201cWe believe in a fair and humane immigration system that\u2019s why we\u2019re standing w/ NY bakers for the #DayWithoutBread https://t.co/Ztm139KGNj\u201d— Fight For 15 (@Fight For 15) 1492779602
Another supporter, Gabriel Morales, told NBC News, "The racist, the xenophobic Trump has really broken our nation's immigration system."
Tom Cat supplies bread to numerous fine dining restaurants and hotels in New York City. It employs about 180 people in Long Island City.
Osias Davila, an employee of the bakery, toldDemocracy Now, "There are workers who have been here for 10 years, 18 years, and so it's unjust that Tom Cat treats us this way after we have given so much to the company to grow. It's a very large business with a lot of production. So what we're asking for at this time is that there's justice and that they stand up for their workers."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.