GREENWICH — Applegreen, the operator of a Dunkin’ at a service plaza on the Merritt Parkway at the edge of Greenwich, is facing unfair labor practice charges and a unionization drive after firing an employee of three years, Elva Salazar.
Salazar says she had never missed work and routinely clocked 25 to 30 hours per week. But after managers saw her talking to representatives of the Service Employees International Union 32BJ in the parking lot in late March, she said she was scheduled for only eight hours of work and reprimanded for what she described as minor shortcomings on the job.
“I feel terrible about being let go because, above all, I think it’s unjust. If there were some reason for it happening, that would be different,” Salazar said through a translation by Franklin Soults, a senior communications strategist for SEIU 32BJ.
Her complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, alleges that anti-union discrimination led to her dismissal. The NLRB investigates 20,000 to 30,000 charges per year and, in some cases, seeks back-pay or reinstatement for employees.
Applegreen, which is responsible for the hiring practices and pay at the Dunkin’ on the Merritt Parkway, did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Hearst Connecticut Media.
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