Restaurants Boycott Queens Bakery Over Immigration Issues

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS -- An acclaimed restaurant group whose locations span from Manhattan to Los Angeles is among the latest reportedly boycotting Tom Cat Bakery after the Long Island City bakery fired 20 of its undocumented immigrant workers in April.

Jean-Georges restaurant said on Thursday it would no longer buy bread from Tom Cat Bakery, located at 43-05 10th St. The announcement comes after the bakery fired 20 immigrant workers who could not produce proper employment documents in a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit last spring.

"We do not agree with what [Tom Cat] did to their employees," a representative for Jean-Georges management said.

The boycott comes after the Times Ledger reported that two highly rated Manhattan restaurants, The Spotted Pig and Le Beradin, are also boycotting the artisanal bakery. A Tom Cat spokesman denied the claims, telling the Times Ledger, "While we are not providing product to The Spotted Pig at this time, it has nothing to do with the Brandworks protests and campaign against our company."

But Brandworkers, a non-profit organization of food manufacturing workers, claims the restaurants stopped purchasing from Tom Cat after the nonprofit's members - including current and former workers at the bakery - reached out to them saying the company denied its fired immigrant workers protections and fair severance.

A representative for Brandworks said Tom Cat deliberately withheld news of the audit from affected workers, allowing them no time to legally or financially prepare, and refused to implement policies to protect immigrant workers, such as demandingICE officers have a warrant before entering their factory.

Aside from the restaurant boycotts, the workers have garnered citywide support from activists groups and the New York City Office Of Labor Police and Standards alike, staging demonstrations outside the bakery to fight for such protections.

“I stand to fight against injustice with my compañeros who were fired," said Manual Estevez, a current 10-year Tom Cat Bakery employee. "I want Tom Cat’s customers to stop buying their bread until this campaign is resolved.

Lead image via Google Maps.