Is this a glaring generalization, or does it seem that Hispanics understand the power of their numbers better than most?--Pete
YVETTE ARMENDARIZ, ARIZONA REPUBLIC - Organizers of an economic boycott asking Hispanics not to go to work or spend money on Tuesday say the day was a success, drawing thousands of people in support. Although businesses around the Valley for the most part did not come to a stop, Hispanics gave up lunching out or shopping in support of the boycott. The boycott was a response to dozens of measures pending in the state Legislature that propose restrictions on undocumented immigrants.
Hispanics who could afford it or believed it was worth missing a day of pay showed up at rallies instead of work. "It couldn't have gone any better. It was more than I expected," said organizer Elias Bermudez, executive director of Centro de Ayuda (Center of Help), which assists immigrants in filling out immigration and tax documents. . .
Several restaurants, carwashes, construction companies and golf courses reported higher absenteeism. Some, such as Baja Fresh Downtown, closed for the day. Lombardi's Restaurant at Arizona Center limited its menu to salads and pastas because of a reduced kitchen crew.
Some roofing companies were crippled by the boycott. An office worker who answered the phone at Catalina Roofing and Supply in Phoenix said none of the company's 160 roofers showed up for work Tuesday.
At San Tan Roofing and Superstition Carpentry in Gilbert, half of the
company's 150 roofers and 400 of its 700 framers didn't show up for
work, Chief Financial Officer William McGlothlin said. Ninety percent of the company's workforce is Hispanic. (Azcentral Article)
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