Fired after asking for a raise, minimum-wage workers at a Jollibee in Jersey City fought for back pay and reinstatement. After a nearly yearlong campaign against the fast-food chain, the workers won.

I | n a certain corner of New Jersey, the “hot labor summer” that recently swept the country began early. In January 2023, minimum-wage workers at a Jersey City location of Jollibee, the beloved Philippines-based fast-food chain, circulated a petition for better working conditions and higher pay. Their demands included a three-dollar wage increase over the state minimum (then $14.13 an hour), double-time pay on holidays, and other basic improvements. Within a few weeks, over 90 percent of their coworkers had signed the petition.

The store’s management caught on quickly; petitioners say they think it was tracking their activities online. In late February, management laid off nine workers, explaining that the store had been bleeding money since the pandemic. Weeks later, thirteen new hires were brought in to replace them.

Suspecting retaliation, the fired workers appealed to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). They also launched the Justice for Jollibee Workers (J4JW) campaign, calling on Jollibee to reinstate them, give them back pay, issue a public apology, and post parts of the National Labor Relations Act concerning employees’ rights and unfair labor practices in all its kitchens.

The J4JW campaign kicked off in July with a demonstration at the Jollibee store in Journal Square, the location where the nine workers were terminated. The action coincided with National Fried Chicken Day — one of the busiest days of the year for the chain, where “Chickenjoy” is the best-selling item on the menu.

“We do our jobs right, and we received this — getting laid off because we want a better workplace, holiday pay, and a three-dollar wage increase,” said Keyser Garganera, a fired worker.

Campaigners also handed management a letter. “You may have illegally terminated us, but you will not silence our voices and the voices of Jollibee workers,” it reads. “We know our rights.”

The demonstrators were removed from the store by police.

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