Just 10 days before Christmas, the Woodfin Suites hotel in Emeryville fired 21 immigrant workers who have been involved in a campaign to enforce the city's living wage law. On Friday, December 15th, Woodfin management placed the workers on two weeks suspension with pay and terminated them effective December 29th due to Social Security "no-matches".

On December 18th, dozens of community organizations joined with the workers to announce a boycott of the Woodfin Suites. Boycott endorsers include the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Wellstone Democrats, the East Bay Gray Panthers, and the East Bay Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. The workers are seeking an injunction to stop the retaliatory firings. A hearing is scheduled on Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court. Photos

"What will we tell our children when they have no presents to open on Christmas?," said Alma Cruz, a Woodfin housekeeper. "We are worried about feeding our families, but we will not give up. The hotel thinks they can intimidate us because we are immigrants, but we will keep fighting for our rights."

This heartless action is the latest in a national wave of mass firings of immigrant workers. On December 12th, over a thousand workers in six Swift and Company meatpacking plants were arrested in a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In November, 400 workers were fired by Cintas, a national laundry chain with plants in the Bay Area. Yet, Social Security "no-match" letters provide no legal basis for taking adverse action against an employee.

Read More | East Bay Alliance For A Sustainable Economy | Past Indybay Coverage: November 13th Rally in Emeryville to Save Woodfin Hotel Workers' Jobs | October 3rd: “Woodfin: Clean Up Your Act”