In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, demands for racial justice in the workplace have spread. Even in suburban strip malls, young, low-paid workers are demanding better treatment -- and consequences for their bosses. whyynews
. Ontjes and Lacontora did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the course of more than a week.
A Muslim employee, Siani Ross, 18, said that a manager would ask her repeatedly if she celebrates Christmas as a way to needle her. Madison Rivas, a 17-year-old employee who is Mexican and Puerto Rican, alleged that Lacontora once told her to leave the register and clean the dining room because “we like how Latinos clean.” And on another occasion, she said, Lacontora loudly questioned if she was “competent enough” to work after she’d spent two weeks recovering from a suicide attempt.
A core group of seven employees organized and executed a successful campaign to remove two high-ranking managers. As the petition gathered signatures and some employees urged a boycott, franchisee Gene Ontjes shut down the Chick-fil-A location in Ridley for two days to hold grievance meetings. The fact that the franchise reportedly did not fire Ontjes and Lacontora set off more online agitation. Two of the lower-ranking managers — one white and one Black — asked a higher-ranking manager why Ontjes and Lacontora hadn’t been fired. They demanded an audience with owner Gene Ontjes to discuss the issue further.
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