Boycott impact limited on E.V. businesses

A Chandler-based landscape company observed Cinco de Mayo a few days early, business is slower than usual at Food City supermarkets and a posh north Scottsdale resort staged a Celebrate Diversity lunch for employees.

But mostly, local businesses said it is business as usual Monday despite a nationwide boycott aimed at showing the importance of immigrant workers to the economy.

Businesses that rely on Hispanic workers — and in some cases, a mostly Hispanic clientele — said they are trying to support employees but still provide services to customers.

“We kept our stores open because we know that in many neighborhoods we are the only store, and we didn’t want to inconvenience our customers or cause any undue hardship,” said Bashas spokeswoman Diana Bejarano-Medina of the Food City stores that cater to the Latino market. “We have a duty to serve our customers and provide food and medication to our clientele.”

Business is slightly slower than usual, Bejarano-Medina said, “but we still have a steady stream of customers coming in, and only a handful of (employees) chose not to come into work.”

At Someburros’ three family-owned East Valley Mexican restaurants, any workers who wanted the day off got the okay, said owner Tim Vasquez, but only a few opted to stay home. Family members jumped in to fill any voids, Vasquez said.

“We have employees who feel very strongly about the boycott,” he said. “But we are very lucky to have a lot of who wanted to make a statement but didn’t want to stick it to Someburros, because we treat them well. Most decided they wanted to come to work.”

Local hoteliers said the same. Several said they asked workers in advance if any wanted the day off and accommodated them.

Despite the contention by at least one boycott organizer that guests in posh north Scottsdale resorts would be making their own beds, at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch Resort, “There were zero no-shows,” said spokeswoman Ann Lane.

At the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, about 20 of 450 employees asked in advance for the day off, said spokeswoman Kim Cole. The rest staged

a “Celebrate Diversity” lunch with ethnic foods and maps showing off the many immigrants that make up the workforce, Cole said.

At least one Chandler-based landscaping business shut down for the day, but workers who usually get Cinco de Mayo off will work then instead, a receptionist left to answer the phones at Somerset Landscape & Maintenance said.

Some Valley projects by Weitz, one of the Valley’s largest construction companies, were left somewhat short-handed Monday because of subcontractors. But several subcontractors brought crews in on Saturday to preempt Monday’s boycott, said Mike Bontrager, president of Weitz’s southwest business unit.

“It was just a handful on a few job sites,” Bontrager said of the worker shortages. “Anytime you lose production on a job, it hurts. But it's hard to quantify (the boycott’s impact) in money terms. It’s not that significant.”