Undocumented Hispanic immigrants, who usually handle the dirtiest and most exhausting work and often have their rights trampled on, are being hired by Chinese business owners in increasing numbers. Recently, Mr. Zhang, a Fujianese employer, fired a group of Hispanic workers in a Brooklyn food wholesale company after he discovered that they were planning to form a union.

A group advocating for Chinese workers’ rights expressed concern over the situation. Son Lin, head of the group, said that Hispanics and Chinese have been treated poorly for a long time, putting up with unpaid wages, having their overtime uncompensated for and work related injuries.

“Workers are entitled to get assistance from workers’ right groups and government agencies regardless of their immigration status and the languages they speak,” Lin said.

The food wholesale company, which employed Hispanic workers, is not small. It supplies vegetables, meat and dairy products to restaurants and food retailers. It also employs approximately 60 people, nearly half of them are Hispanics, who are responsible for processing food, moving merchandise and cleaning.

Zhang said that a dozen Hispanic workers were not happy with the pay rate and the long hours, so they decided to form a union to negotiate for benefits. But before the union was in place, Zhang fired the Hispanic workers and hired Chinese workers instead. The workers allegedly received help from Hispanic union organizers.

This was not the first time that situations like this have occurred. Last year, Hispanic workers in a Chinese-owned supermarket on Elizabeth Street in Chinatown, successfully formed a union and were able to gain benefits. Some of the workers, however, were fired at the onset of their unionizing.

Most Chinese-owned supermarkets, restaurants, and food wholesale companies employ Hispanic workers to do the heavy and dirty work. Because of their incident, employers are now concerned that it may have a domino effect.

Mr. Chen, who employs close to a dozen Hispanic workers, admitted that to cut corners, many Hispanic workers are paid unfairly. They are paid much less for doing the work that Chinese immigrants do not care to do.

Mr. Yang, owner of a food-processing factory on East Broadway, said that he pays Hispanic workers from $800 to $1,200 a month. They work more than 10 hours a day for six days a week, and they have no health insurance or overtime pay.

“Some employers give a few paid vacations, but if the workers start a union, the prevalent standard is hardly legal,” said Yang.

Comparing Chinese and Hispanic undocumented immigrant laborers, Hispanics are in a more disadvantaged position. Their rights are hardly protected and they often lack any channel to complain.