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Employees of a hamburger chain in the Pacific Northwest initiated a new policy after employees wore buttons marked "Abolish ICE" and "No One Is Illegal" with their uniforms.
Ten employees of Burgerville's fast food restaurant, located in Portland, Oregon, were sent home for a day last month when they refused to remove the buttons during their shift, reported The Oregonian.
The silent protest came as a result of national outrage over the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which previously separated thousands of migrant children from their parents on the US-Mexico border.
The call for the dissolution of the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has become a popular commitment for many Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.
Burgerville's director of human resources, Liz Graham, told the newspaper that customers were complaining about employee buttons.
"The guests said that they did not want to see personal and political messages while they ate," Graham said. "In addition, some employees stated that the content of the buttons attracted unwanted attention that made them uncomfortable."
The company said in a statement to Fox News Sunday that the employees had violated a long-standing unwritten policy to refrain from doing politics while they were on the clock.
"Some of our employees wear buttons expressing their political views at work. Although Burgerville has a long-standing verbal policy prohibiting the wearing of personal buttons, we did not have a written policy on it, "the company said in the statement.
The buttons led to the creation of a new policy aimed at creating a "universally welcoming and inclusive environment".
"We are implementing an updated uniform policy, and buttons and other messages – political and personal – will not be allowed. It is a policy that is common in public companies and is in harmony with our mission to serve with love, "the statement said.
The new rule will come into effect on September 13th.
This initiative comes as part of negotiations between the company and the fast food chain union Burgerville Workers Union.
Workers at the Oregon restaurant chain marked history in April by becoming the first officially recognized fast food trade union in the country.
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