El Milagro workers return following lockout, protests

El Milagro workers were allowed to return to work Friday after organizers say the company locked out employees who left the job to protest dangerous working conditions.

After walking out Thursday, workers say they were locked out of one of the company’s tortilla production facilities — many unable to retrieve car keys, wallets and other belongings.

Workers said they were allowed back inside only after calling Chicago police to the scene. The company then told workers to report to human resources on Friday, where employees were eventually permitted to return to work. El Milagro also agreed to pay workers for Thursday’s shift.

In the wake of a national tortilla shortage, conditions in the company’s Chicago facilities have gone from “bad” to “extreme,” workers’ rights activists said. Workers say production has been ramped up to dangerous speeds, causing hand and back injuries. Workers also protested a lack of air conditioning and alleged the company retaliated against workers who called in sick by suspending them for up to a week.

The company also placed an armed security guard at the production facility at 21st Place and Western Avenue on Friday morning, hoping to intimidate them, workers said. Martin Salas, who has worked for El Milagro for a decade, said he had never seen an armed officer outside his workplace before.

The workers received news that they were permitted to return to work on Friday after community leaders and politicians gathered outside an El Milagro office. Workers held picket signs and a giant burrito with the words “El Maltrato Burritos … De Abuso” in bold red letters over a gold background, an imitation of the company’s logo. The phrase translates as “Mistreatment Burritos, made with abuse.”

Protesting workers were joined by activists from Arise, along with Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and Ald. Mike Rodríguez (22nd).

“They’re not asking for anything outside of basic human rights,” Rodríguez said. “Here, at the Milagro plants, five people died from this deadly pandemic. They suffered for us. They died for us, so that we could eat. The least we can do is stand with them and fight for their rights.”