Boston's Pizza, Sushi Roll Hit by Campeche Restaurant Strike

More than 40 unionized workers at three Campeche restaurant chains — Boston’s Pizza, La Parroquia de Veracruz and Sushi Roll — walked off the job Friday after months of failed contract talks with their employer, Operadora TYZA.

The strike, formally authorized by a labor judge, began around 1 p.m. when workers raised a red-and-black strike flag, the traditional marker of a Mexican labor stoppage, at one of the affected locations in San Francisco de Campeche, the state capital.

The dispute centers on the renewal of the workers’ collective bargaining agreement and accusations of labor rights violations. Employees are represented by the Federación de Obreros Unidos de México, a labor union federation.

Negotiations collapsed after a final conciliation hearing Sept. 8 at the labor tribunal in San Francisco de Campeche. Union representatives said they had repeatedly tried to avoid the walkout, even agreeing to extend the strike deadline to keep talks alive, but accused the company of refusing to budge.

During that hearing, the company’s legal representative asked the labor court to let the strike proceed rather than continue negotiating, according to Por Esto. The union said the company had told a state conciliation center it had spent months preparing for a possible walkout.

Tensions flared again once the strike began. The company’s legal representative tried to stop workers from installing the strike flag, arguing it blocked access for customers and non-union staff. The disagreement turned into shoving, and the strike banner was trampled in the scuffle.

The strike also exposed a split among employees. Some non-union workers confronted the strikers, saying their benefit demands were excessive. A court officer from the state judiciary arrived at the scene to document the incident, including the company’s refusal to submit a required report to the judge overseeing the case.

For now, unionized staff are holding a stoppage outside the affected restaurants while they wait on a legal resolution.

The union said the conflict had already escalated once before, during an earlier confrontation inside the labor tribunal where representatives say they faced physical aggression and threats. A complaint has been filed over that incident, though the union chose to keep pursuing dialogue rather than strike immediately.

The dispute lands on chains with deep roots in the region’s dining scene. Boston’s Pizza opened its first Mexican restaurant in Mérida in 2003, and the brand has since expanded to nearly 30 locations nationwide under BPT Group, its primary Mexican franchise operator. It’s unclear whether Operadora TYZA, the company named in the Campeche labor case, operates under that same corporate umbrella.

So far, the strike is confined to the three Campeche locations named in labor tribunal records. No reporting has named any Boston’s Pizza, La Parroquia or Sushi Roll location in Yucatán state, including Mérida, as affected.

It also isn’t yet clear whether the dispute will spread beyond Campeche.