Buena Park car dealership says union put racist sign outside business

BUENA PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Pictures of a racially charged sign popping up outside a Buena Park car dealership over the last few days have gone viral and the business said a local union was to blame.

Premier Chevrolet said the racially offensive sign targeting Latinos was not put up by them.

"Beyond the word frustrating, very upsetting, knowing these type of racial remarks are being done here at our work location," said Jose Amenero, the sales manager at Premier Chevrolet.

Amenero said he believes the sign was being put up by a local carpenter's union, which he said was upset about not getting picked to build Premier Auto Group's new dealership located right next to the union's headquarters.

The dealership has received calls, threats and major backlash online from the sign, according to Amenero.

"If they are not aware, of course they are going to very upset, very mad," Amenero said. "Our community has supported us knowing we have nothing do with it."

The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters released a statement saying members have started a campaign about a labor dispute over the new dealership.

The union accused Premier Auto Group of verbally assaulting members, also saying: "They have engaged in disgusting, hurtful behavior, asking the representatives if they are 'undocumented,' and even going so low as to calling our banner crew (expletive) (slur)."

The expletive and slur in the statement were the same ones used on the banner, but the union said it had nothing to do with the sign.

The dealership responded with its own sign, stating it does not tolerate racism and that the claims of the protesters were untrue.

"We've had nothing to do with that type of remarks here at Premier Chevrolet," Amenero said. "That has nothing to do with us. No one has made those types of remarks."

Premier's management said they've had to call the police multiple times about people trespassing on their property and about threats they've received.

A new sign posted on Friday contained expletive language but no racial slurs.