A total of 18 people were fired from one business after joining the nation-wide protest "A Day Without Immigrants." 
 
 Thousands of people participated in the movement across the country, including people in Middle Tennessee. 
 
 In Nolensville, nearly 20 employees at Bradley Coatings, Incorporated told their supervisors on Wednesday they'd be taking part as well. Then, on Thursday they were told they no longer had jobs. 
 
 "We are the team leaders directly under the supervisors and they informed us last night that we could not go back to work and the boss said we were fired," one employee told us. 
 
 The former employee asked to remain anonymous but had this message to his former boss. 
 
 "I would tell him he was unfair, after working for them for so many years, gave him our best. They could not understand that it was just one day. We were going to make up that day on a Sunday, but they didn't understand that, and it was not the best way. They didn't give us an opportunity and just told us we were fired," he said. 
 
 "Tennessee is an employment-at-will state which basically means an employer can end your employment at any time without reason or cause. Of course, there are a lot of different stipulations, civil rights issues that could stop them from doing that," Department of Labor and Workforce Development spokesman, Chris Cannon said. 
 
 Bradley Coatings, Inc.'s attorney released the following statement: 
 
 "Bradley Coatings, Incorporated (BCI) is a family-owned, Nashville-based business that provides commercial painting services to its clients on a very demanding schedule. Established in 1986, BCI has always celebrated diversity and supported the immigrant community. This past Wednesday night, certain employees of BCI informed their leadership that they would not be at work the following day. Because of the time-sensitive nature of the jobs these employees were assigned to, all employees were told that they would need to show up for work or they would be terminated. On Thursday, the majority of BCI’s employees fulfilled their obligations to our clients, but eighteen employees did not. Regretfully, and consistent with its prior communication to all its employees, BCI had no choice but to terminate these individuals. The reason these employees missed work—to engage in peaceful demonstrations—had nothing to do with BCI’s decision to terminate them. BCI regrets this situation, but it has contracted with its clients to complete work on a schedule set by the client’s general contractor. BCI will review its procedures in an effort to avoid similar issues in the future, and will continue to provide timely service to its clients and support to the Nashville immigrant community." - Robert Peal, Company Attorney ||||| CATOOSA, Okla. (KTUL) - A dozen workers at a Catoosa restaurant are without a job after getting fired for skipping work as a show of support for “A Day Without Immigrants.” 
 
 The restaurant workers are all Hispanic and say it was important to them to participate in the national protest. 
 
 But they didn’t think it would cost them their jobs. 
 
 “They feel like they’ve been unfairly terminated," said a friend, translating for the employees. 
 
 The group worked at I Don’t Care Bar and Grill in Catoosa. They talked to us after they were fired for not showing up to work. They asked us not to show their faces or give their names. 
 
 “(They’ve) been working there for almost two years since the restaurant opened," said the friend. 
 
 The group willingly chose to stay home with others across the country, supporting “A Day Without Immigrants.” 
 
 “(They’re) upset they stood for something they felt was necessary so the community would stand together, and they got terminated for that," said the friend. 
 
 The six are part of a group of 12 kitchen staff let go. 
 
 The owner fired them by text message. 
 
 A message to one of the employees reads: "You and your family are fired. I hope you enjoyed your day off, and you can enjoy many more. Love you.” 
 
 The workers aren't sure what comes next, but they did feel they had to stand up for immigrants living and working in the U.S. 
 
 “That was their way to show they are needed in the community," said the friend. 
 
 Restaurant owner Bill McNally gave us a written statement, saying he has a "zero tolerance policy for no show/no call incidents and the 12 employees violated that policy." 
 
 Despite the shock of being fired, the employees say they aren’t mad and expected a possible reprimand, but they weren’t counting on getting canned. 
 
 “They feel like he could’ve done something for them since they’d been working for him," said the friend. 
 
 Friday in a Facebook post, the restaurant was shopping for replacement workers. 
 
 In the meantime, these workers say they’re moving on to other jobs, taking their stance with them. 
 
 “Immigrants are important to the nation," said the friend. 
 
 The group says it's never had a problem with the owner in the past and wishes him the best. 
 
 But the fired employees say they will continue to stand together in the future. 
 
 The owner did share with us he’s fired other employees over the past two years for violating his “no call/no show” policy.
– Thousands of immigrants stayed home from work Thursday, shuttering restaurants and slowing other industries, for the national "A Day Without Immigrants" protest. Now it appears many were asked not to come back. In Oklahoma, a dozen workers at I Don't Care Bar and Grill were fired after missing work Thursday; most had been working at the restaurant since it opened, KTUL reports. "You and your family are fired," their boss said in a text message. "I hope you enjoyed your day off and you can enjoy many more. Love you." According to WLTX, 21 workers at Encore Boat Builders in South Carolina—most of them long-term employees with young kids—were fired after taking part in A Day Without Immigrants. Meanwhile in Tennessee, 18 workers at Bradley Coatings were fired after informing their supervisors they planned to participate in the protest, NewsChannel5 reports. They say it was "unfair after working for them for so many years," especially because they were going to make up the time missed on Sunday. In a statement, Bradley Coatings says it has "always celebrated diversity and supported the immigrant community," but it "had no choice" but to fire the workers. According to WTVD, two employees at a North Carolina packing warehouse were suspended for missing work Thursday. Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina are right-to-work states, which means employers can terminate employees with few restrictions.