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NEWS/QPge Clarlotte $oat
Thursday, June 22, 2006
AT N.C. PORK PROCESSING PLANT
Workers criticize producer
Continued from page 1A
one wca’ker to stamp hogs
with a “Vote No” stamp.
Rallies, supermarket initia
tives, and church services
will be held in seven of
Smithfield’s retail markets
including Richmond,
Chicago, New York,
Washington, D.C., Atlanta,
Raleigh and Boston, said
Leila McDowell, a spokesp^-
son for the UFCW.
“It’s just the beginning,”
McDowell said of the cam
paign that also has a national
advertising campaign
Joseph W Luter, IV, the
president and CEO of
Smithfield Packing
Companj^ says in a state
ment, “Since the UFCW bag
chosen this week to launch a
nationwide ‘anti-Smithfield’
campaign, we must question
the sincerity of the union’s
motives now. If the union’s
campaign succeeds, the peo
ple who will be hurt the most
are the Smithfield employees
that the vmion claims to want
to help.”
Smithfield Foods is the
largest hog producer and
pork processor in the world
and nets $7 biUion annually
luider the name of Smithfield
Foods. That figure doesn’t
include 32 other internation
al acquisitions that also
include beef production.
Since the plant opened in
1992, there have been two
imion elections, one in 1994
and in 1997 during which a
fi^t broke out resulting in
the arrests of some union
supporters by a special
Smithfield police department
allowed by state law. The
union lost both dections.
Court documents said
Smithfield insisted the com
pany did not unlawfully
coerce anyone in an anti
union efibrt.
But the court sided with the
National Labor Relations
Board and upheld a “cease
and desist” order the NLRB
issued to Smithfield in 2004
“forbidding the company
fiom interfering with,
restrainii^, or coercing its
employees in the ®cercise of
their rights” imder the
National Labor Relations Act.
Luter, the president and
CEO of Smithfield, released a
statement last week saying
the company would not
appeal the court’s decision.
“Smithfield respects and
accepts the court’s judgment,
even though we strongly dis
agree with the findings. We
have argued strenuously that
the allegations the union
made concerning Smithfield’s
conduct during both elections
were false. But we recognize
that we have lost our case in
court.”
Luter, who also announced
his resignation as CEO, said
‘When a new election is
called, we wiU comply fuHy
with the NLRB’s remedies to
assure a fair vote that repre
sents the wishes of our plant’s
employees. We believe that
our plant should have the
ri^t to choose whether to
unionize, and we respect the
choices they make.”
Luter also said there were
unions in other Smithfield
plants that have operated
peacefully but have not been
successM in Tar Heel and
did not mince words about
the company’s feelings
toward the campaign.
After receiving complaints
fixim the United Food and
Commercial Workers, the
NLRB investigated the
Bladen County plant that
kills 30,000 hogs per day and
has about 6,000 employees,
the largest hog-MUing facility
in the covmtry The NLRB
found the company used a
number of scare tactics,
including the confiscation of
union materials, unfair disci
pline of employees displaying
interest in union activities
and the firing of four union
supporters, Rayshawn Ward,
Lawanna Johnson, Margo
McMillan and Ada Perry
In the May decision, the
court also ordered the jobs of
the four employees be rein
stated.
Jerry Hostetter, a
spokesman for Smithfield,
did not return telephone calls
finm Ihe NNPA seeking com
ment.
In addition to the NLRB,
the Human Rights Watch,
issued two reports on
Smithfield. The most recent
was “Blood, Sweat and Fear:
Workers’ Ri^ts in U.S. Meat
and Poultry” in 2005.
The report explained the
dangers of hi^-speed pro
duction lines and the rights of
immigrant workers.
“The company is quite dear
about its continued opposi
tion to unionization. In a
written statement to Human
Ri^ts Watch it said:
‘We do not believe a union
is necessary or would be help
ful to our employees at our
Tar Heel, North Carolina
plant.... If this location under
goes a union organizing drive
or general activity the com
pany will continue to educate
its employees on the value
and success we have created
together and the drawbacks
of union organization for •
themselves, the company and
our customers. ...On occa
sion, the company has soi^t
to utilize professional part
ners in the field of labor rela
tions to assist with the educa
tion of labor issues to both the
management and employee
teams.”’
The workers and supports
Rev. Graylan Hagler said
organizing the union will
address other problems at the
plant including safety and
racial discrimination, indud-
ing deportation threats.
Hagler, the pastor of the
Plymouth Congregational
United Church of Christ in
Washington, D.C., is the pres
ident of Nfinisters for Radal,
Sodal and Economic Justice,
a coalition of more than 600
congregations.
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Thursday
Thu. night
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
m
Very hot with
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A p m t-storm
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a p.m t-showei
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possitte
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;s and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. t)2006
Sun
Thursday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
8:42 p.ni
8:42 p.m
8:42 p.m
Moon
Thursday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
8:19 p,m,
9:i6pm.
10:03 p.m,
10:42 p.m.
Moon Phases
New First
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City
AiKen, SC
Augusta, GA
Charleston, SC
Cdumbia, SC
Durham, Nd
Greensboro, NC
Greenville, SC
Knoxville, TN
Lynchburg, VA
98 70 pc
92 72 pc
97 73 pc
93 71 pc
91 70 pc
93 70 pc
91 70 t
93 67 s
90 t
92 71 pc
95 71 pc
92 69 t
91 70 t
92 67 pc
90 71 pc
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86 68 pc
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HI Lo W City Hi Lo W
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90 72 pc Norfolk, VA 90 74 pc
91 71 pc Raleigh, NC 95 70 pc .
86 66 pc Richmond, VA 93 71 pc
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85 66 pc 'Mlmington, NC 89 72 pc
60 61 pc 'Wnstbn-Salem, NC 92 72 pc
HI Lo W
92 72 t
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85 71 pc
92 70 t
87 70 pc
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Hi Lo W
91 70 pc
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87 f
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86 64 pc
112,87 S
81 56 S
72 52 pc
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Hi Lo W
88 77 pc
80 60 pc
91 76 t
86 70 pc
92 72 t
84 62 pc
115 90 S
76 56 S
74 52 S
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77 60 pc
92 75 pc
86 68 pc
90 72 pc
81 59 pc
115 90 S
76 56 pc
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83 64 pc
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61 36 S
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84 63 s
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