TRACY -- Chevy's Fresh Mex restaurant fired eight employees who skipped work to attend an immigration rally, prompting four other workers to quit in protest.

The prep cooks and dishwashers who were fired said they asked for the day off but were told by managers that they'd be fired if they didn't show up Monday.

Allen Beebe, owner of the restaurant's parent company, Calmex Inc., said some workers did not show up, leaving the restaurant with less than half its kitchen staff.

"Eight people did not show up. Imagine what that does with a staff of 13 in the kitchen," he said.

Some of the employees said they worked a full shift the day after the boycott and assumed their absence was not a big deal.

"To me, if you don't show up to work, you've quit," Beebe said.

Workers took the day off at restaurants Beebe owns in Modesto and Fresno, but only employees of the Tracy restaurant were fired because they did not notify management, he said.

The workers said they went to Monday's immigration rally in Stockton, which drew about 10,000 people.