New York, NY —

Fresh Direct, the online company that delivers groceries to New Yorkers, is facing accusations that it purposely caused an immigration audit as a way to bust a union. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: More than 900 Fresh Direct warehouse workers are expected to vote this weekend on whether to unionize. But a company memo informing them of an audit by Immigration and Customs Enforcement caused at least a hundred to leave their jobs. That's according to the Teamsters Local 805 organizing them.

During a press conference at city hall, city council speaker Christine Quinn and other elected officials accused the company of intimidating workers:

QUINN: I don't believe for one second that Fresh Direct didn't know ICE was coming, didn't play a part in that, and they cannot wash their hands of it.

REPORTER: Fresh Direct Vice President Jim Moore says complying with the ICE audit is extremely burdensome and the notion that it was intentional is outrageous.

For WNYC, I'm Cindy Rodriguez