in our Spotlight on Business Report a labor dispute goes to court two workers from a cleaning company that contracts with the American dream mall are fighting for their jobs alleging they were fired in retaliation for organizing a union the National Labor Relations Board is spearheading the case on behalf of the employees who say their lives are in limbo while the legal challenge plays out Melissa Rose Cooper reports it was a very surprising to me and unexpected I've been prized for my work and I also was promised a pro a promotion before they terminate me the path American Dream Mall fired terminated for no reasons just for their intention to organize our co-workers in the union which Morales says was necessary due to complaints from workers being mistreated on the job so now the National Labor Relations Board is taking HSA cleaning to court demanding Varela and his co-worker Jose Tehran who was also let go be reinstated immediately time that I was Employee I never had any complaint or any issues but after I started speaking they decided to fire me representatives for both the nlrb and HSA appeared in federal court today in Newark in court documents filed the nlrb accuses HSA of firing Varela and Tehran in retaliation for organizing a union but lawyers for HSA deny the claim saying the company didn't even know the union existed until July when the petition was drawn to get their jobs back instead HSA maintains that Varela and Tehran were let go due to necessary Cuts in the workforce I thought what he had to say was very unconvincing uh the he tried to argue that they had the HSA had good reason to fire the workers but as I said earlier today not a single piece of paper supports the mall's hsa's position these guys worked there for years without a single negative comment in fact we see lots of praise for Louise in particular from the owner of the company from the director of operations that's what the written record shows and that's what's really convincing here Brent garan is the Deputy general counsel for SEIU Local 32bj he says HSA has a moral responsibility to reinstate Varela in Tehran they don't have other jobs and the workers at the mall have lost the most outspoken Union Advocates and they of course are afraid that if they stand up the other workers at the mall that the same thing will happen to them so it'd be a extremely important way of sending the message to these immigrant workers low-wage workers that they have the right to organize they have rights in this country when Jose and Luisa returned to work we reached out to HSA and a representative told us they have no comment at this time the judges expected to give his decision in the next couple of weeks for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper [Music]