Several dozen protesters — standing alongside D.C. Councilmembers, lawyers and local labor leaders — chanted “Chipotle, listen up, we’re not done fighting,” outside the chain’s Columbia Heights location yesterday. It was one of the vocal components of a demonstration protesting the recent firing of approximately 40 workers from the chain’s D.C. locations without notice.

On March 9, the affected workers claim, a dozen employees at the Columbia Heights, Woodley Park and Chinatown branches were let go due to discrepancies in their employment authorization documents. (The burrito chain had previously taken similar action in Minnesota due to an audit required by U.S. immigration authorities.) According to accounts from the workers, the firings occurred during their 30-minute break — and when they returned from a back room, the fired workers found that their replacements had already started working behind the counter. The fired employees allege that they were not offered any proper notice before or due compensation after the mass termination.

D.C. Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael A. Brown were also in attendance at the protest. “As the Councilmember representing Ward 1, the most diverse Ward in a pro-immigrant city, I believe it’s important that workers be treated with fairness in regard to their compensation and benefits,” said Graham. Brown said that he “want[s] to make sure that all of these displaced workers are fairly compensated for their many hours of hard work.”

During yesterday’s event, fired employees delivered a letter [PDF] to Chipotle management requesting an apology, an explanation for termination, and compensation for hours worked — as well as a two-week severance. The organizers of the demonstration have also set up an online petition in support of the letter. In the past, Chipotle has claimed that they are simply following instructions from federal authorities when it comes to the employment audits.