The Jewish Daily Forward: Kosher Slaughterhouse Hit With Lawsuits

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.forward.com/articles/kosher-slaughterhouse-hit-with-lawsuits/

Kosher Slaughterhouse Hit With Lawsuits

Nathaniel Popper | Fri. May 18, 2007

Owners of the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse have been facing an organized revolt from workers who are unhappy with conditions at the factory — first in the form of a class-action lawsuit against the company, and more recently in a mass walkout by employees during regular working hours.

The lawsuit and the walkouts are hitting AgriProcessors, a kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, that is owned by the Rubashkins, an ultra-Orthodox family based in Brooklyn’s Chabad-Lubavitch community.

Workers at the Iowa slaughterhouse told the Forward that between 200 and 300 employees left their posts last Monday during the morning work shift to protest a May 4 letter sent by the company’s management to employees, many of whom are believed to be undocumented immigrants. A copy of the letter acquired by the Forward informed workers that in order to keep their jobs at the plant they would need to reconcile their Social Security numbers with federal records. Workers say it is their understanding that after the records are reconciled, they will have to again work their way up the plant’s pay scale, which starts at $6.25 an hour.

The company did not respond to numerous requests for comment.

The walkout came a little more than a month after 23 workers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in a Dubuque, Iowa, federal court. The lawsuit alleges that the company has not compensated workers for the time they spend preparing for work at the beginning of the day and cleaning up at the end of it. Such compensation appears to be mandated by recent Supreme Court decisions.

The company has not yet filed a response but a lawyer for AgriProcessors told the Forward that the company is investigating the allegations.

FULL story at link.

[iamjoy]

1. Not What The Torah Meant

if these allegations are true, it is very sad. One reason suggested for many of the laws of kashrut was compassion.. Biblical scholars debate this, which is why I said it the way I did.

In any case, I don't think the intent EVER was to exploit the laborers worksing as assistants to the shochet.

[jilln]

2. Too bad it's not for animal cruelty. (nt)

[SOS]

16. They deserve it for both worker abuse and animal cruelty

I'm glad the workers walked out!

To see how they torture animals to death check out this video:

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=agri_short

*WARNING* - This is some of the worst animal cruelty you will ever witness.

[jilln]

17. Agreed. All slaughterhouses are filthy business.

Can't imagine why anyone would want to put something in their mouths that comes from there. The pictures alone should make anyone question the cleanliness.

[madrchsod]

3. this is one of the worse companies of anykind

in the united states. my kin worked for an ultra orothodox a processer in spencer iowa years ago..boy, oh, boy they were really pissed....maybe these guys from new york think the people in iowa are dumb hicks.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[AndreaCG]

5. Was that in another post?

There's nothing particularly anti-Semitic about the post you responded to. And certainly not filthy.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Tom Joad]

7. It was only in someone's imagination, i think. Gone now.

What next, can't complain about WalMart without being accused of anti-Christian bias?

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[Tom Joad]

14. Laugle, why the hell do you think you can read the minds of other posters?

How do you pretend to know he had bad motives.

Many of us do oppose worker's being abused, no matter the religious, or lack of religious, orientation of the workplace or its leaders.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[MrPrax]

10. That's not fair...

Omaha Steve usually posts information about workers' struggles of all kinds in the US -- his contributions to DU and esp LBN are laudable and well appreciated.

This is a very distressing incident involving a company with a very poor opinion of working people -- and seemingly have taken advantage of a loophole. Basically this is similar to Circuit City -- they found a way to steal from working people and I for one hope that folks speak out against such a travesty.

It's a vulgar way to treat people.

[Tom Joad]

11. Maybe its because Steve reads the Jewish Forward. Is that a crime?

Is there something wrong with that?

[jilln]

12. Here's what goes on in that place...

Abusing workers is just the tip of the iceberg

<http://www.goveg.com/feat/agriprocessors/>

[Fierce]

13. In MN several years ago...

...there were several protests at a slaughterhouse to raise awareness of the terrible working conditions there. The board (body? people? rabbi?) who granted the kosher designation to the slaughterhouse said they would pull it unless working conditions/wages improved. It worked, and it was awesome.

[Hawkeye-X]

15. Rubaskin's is completely right wing

This should come as no surprise. We are both Jewish and we
have a long-standing boycott of Rubaskins products. We prefer
to support local shochets (kosher butchers) when we are in New
York or we pay a bit more for excellent chickens from Quebec, Canada in our local kosher market.

[Omaha Steve]

18. This was a working family post and not an anti Jewish post

If you look in the Labor Forum, you will see I have posted several PRO JEWISH stories including a couple from the Jewish Daily Forward.

[Lurking Dem]

19. This is related:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/us/19religion.html?em&ex=1179720000&en=cbbec71bd8f6560b&ei=5087%0A