PR Newswire US, June 20, 2006, Tuesday

PR Newswire
June 20, 2006

Labor, Immigrant Rights Groups Call for Justice at World's Largest Pork Processing PlantPressure Causes Smithfield to Announce 'When a New Election is Called, We Will Fully Comply'
http://sev.prnewswire.com/workforce-management/20060620/NYTU14420062006-1.html

NEW YORK, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers at Smithfield Foods' largest pork processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina traveled to New York City and joined local faith, immigrant and civil rights groups, as well as members of organized labor, including the United Food and Commercial Workers and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union/UFCW today to launch a national campaign in support of 5,500 workers at the plant.
Smithfield has been found liable in several National Labor Relations Board and Federal Court decisions for assaulting, intimidating, threatening with deportation and unlawfully firing employees during attempts to form a union. Workers at the plant have been trying to form a union with the United Food and Commercial Workers for ten years. The union lost elections to organize in 1994 and 1997, but the results were thrown out after the NLRB and the courts found that the company had prevented the union from holding fair elections.
The rally, which took place at The Praise Tabernacle in Brooklyn, comes just days after the company bent to pressure and announced that it would end the appeal process with the NLRB. While not admitting any wrongdoing, the company said in a prepared statement that "when a new election is called, we will comply fully with the NLRB's remedies to assure a fair vote that represents the wishes of our plant's employees ... we recognize that we have lost our case in court."
These actions indicate that efforts such as the Smithfield Justice campaign work, and that by banding together, community groups and organized labor can have a real impact on the lives and working conditions of workers. The Smithfield Justice campaign marks one of the first times such a widespread community-based campaign has been coupled with an organizing effort by a major international union. It is the largest manufacturing organizing drive by any union in more than a decade.
Three Tar Heel employees were also at the demonstration to share their experiences. "The conditions are very hazardous at the plant," said Lenora Bailey, who has worked at Smithfield for two and a half years. "The company doesn't care about the employees. I'm here because we need help; we need people to speak out as many of the workers are afraid to speak up because they think they are going to get fired.
"Someone needs to hear us and someone needs to help us," Bailey continued.
Two reports by the internationally respected organization, Human Rights Watch, have documented widespread violations of basic human and labor rights. Workers cite dangerous and unsafe conditions, including blinding line speeds that leave many workers permanently disabled. Employees are routinely fired when they are injured, workers report, and are often denied worker's compensation. The Human Rights Watch reports' author, Cornell professor Lance Compa, was also at the Brooklyn rally.
"This is only the beginning," said supporter Reverend Grayland Hagler, head of Ministers for Racial, Social, Economic Justice representing more than 600 congregations involved in the effort. "This is the start of a more aggressive labor movement. This is a chance to say no to a racist, anti- immigrant company that feels they can terrorize workers at will. We are issuing a moral appeal to consumers and supermarkets to think twice about purchasing Smithfield products. We are telling people to say no to blood on their bacon."
Similar demonstrations are being held in Richmond, Chicago, Atlanta, Raleigh, Washington, DC and Boston on June 19-22 as part of the nationwide consumer education campaign about conditions at the Tar Heel plant.