Thread: Agriprocessors challenge illegals right to join union....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/nyreg ... wanted=all
Meatpacker in Brooklyn Challenges a Union Vote


By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: August 31, 2008

Agriprocessors, the Brooklyn-based company that is the nation’s largest kosher meat producer, is well known for the labor troubles at its meatpacking plant in Iowa — federal agents detained 389 of its workers as illegal immigrants in May, and labor officials in Iowa have accused it of employing 57 under-age workers.

But Agriprocessors is also having labor troubles closer to home, with the company asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn a vote to unionize at its distribution center along the Brooklyn waterfront.

If successful, the company’s appeal could have repercussions at companies across the country: it is trying to persuade the Supreme Court to rule that illegal immigrants do not have the right to join labor unions.

In September 2005, the company’s Brooklyn employees voted 15 to 5 to unionize, with one ballot challenged. The workers, most of them immigrants from Mexico, complained of low pay, not receiving time-and-a-half for overtime and not having health insurance or paid holidays.

“It was a dirty place to work, and they treated some of the workers real bad,â€

Honest to God..I have heard it all now! Don't hire illegals and you will not have to worry! But no, that's too simplistic.

Agri wants to have it both ways! They want to the Supreme Court to overturn their 84 decision which essentially held that invaders could join unions (which they should overturn in light of the adverse consequences regarding illegal immigration on this country today). This so they can continue to hire illegals in order to avoid unionization efforts.

This despite having been raided by ICE only recently which turned up close to 400 illegals employed at their Iowa facility. You would think they would be keeping a low profile right about now.

I got to hand it to Agri...they sure have some big %^$#!!

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Honest to God..I have heard it all now! Don't hire illegals and you will not have to worry! But no, that's too simplistic.

Agri wants to have it both ways! They want to the Supreme Court to overturn their 84 decision which essentially held that invaders could join unions (which they should overturn in light of the adverse consequences regarding illegal immigration on this country today). This so they can continue to hire illegals in order to avoid unionization efforts.

This despite having been raided by ICE only recently which turned up close to 400 illegals employed at their Iowa facility. You would think they would be keeping a low profile right about now.

I got to hand it to Agri...they sure have some big %^$#!!

HOWEVER THERE IS ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS...MAYBE.

SOME UNIONS ARE LETTING ILLEGALS ENTER THE UNION. THIS IS BAD FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER. IT DEPRESSES WAGES. UNIONS HAVE NOT HAD TO FIGHT THE ILLEGAL INVASION, AS THEY JUST LET THEM IN AND COLLECTED DUES.

BUT IF ILLEGALS COULD NOT ENTER UNIONS, THEN UNIONS WOULD HAVE A MAJOR INCENTIVE TO FIGHT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. THIS WOULD BE GOOD FOR LEGAL UNION MEMBERS AND AMERICAN WORKERS IN GENERAL.

UNIONS TOOK THE EASY ROUTE WHEN THE INVASION BEGAN....AND THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THAT.

BUT....AGRIPROCESSORS WANTS THIS TO HAPPEN SO THAT THEIR COMPANY WONT BE UNIONIZED. THEY WANT TO HIRE MORE ILLEGALS. BUT THEY WONT GET AWAY WITH IT.

THIS CENTERS AROUND A VOTE BY EMPLOYEES TO UNIONIZE AGRIPROCESSORS. AND THE COMPANY IS TRYING TO SAY THIS VOTE DOES NOT COUNT.

BUT THE REPLACEMENT EMPLOYEES....IF THEY ARE LEGAL....CAN JOIN THE UNION. PROBLEM IS THAT IF THEY HIRE WORK VISA PEOPLE...THOSE WILL BE DOCILE PEOPLE AND THEY MIGHT BE AFRAID TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE UNION.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR DRAWBACKS OF THE WORK VISA.

THIS IS WHY THERE SHOULD BE NO WORK VISAS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF AMERICANS TO DO THESE JOBS. HIRE AMERICANS, TRAIN AMERICANS IF NECESSARY.

Originally Posted by redpony353

Originally Posted by NoBueno

Honest to God..I have heard it all now! Don't hire illegals and you will not have to worry! But no, that's too simplistic.

Agri wants to have it both ways! They want to the Supreme Court to overturn their 84 decision which essentially held that invaders could join unions (which they should overturn in light of the adverse consequences regarding illegal immigration on this country today). This so they can continue to hire illegals in order to avoid unionization efforts.

This despite having been raided by ICE only recently which turned up close to 400 illegals employed at their Iowa facility. You would think they would be keeping a low profile right about now.

I got to hand it to Agri...they sure have some big %^$#!!

HOWEVER THERE IS ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS...MAYBE.

SOME UNIONS ARE LETTING ILLEGALS ENTER THE UNION. THIS IS BAD FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER. IT DEPRESSES WAGES. UNIONS HAVE NOT HAD TO FIGHT THE ILLEGAL INVASION, AS THEY JUST LET THEM IN AND COLLECTED DUES.

BUT IF ILLEGALS COULD NOT ENTER UNIONS, THEN UNIONS WOULD HAVE A MAJOR INCENTIVE TO FIGHT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. THIS WOULD BE GOOD FOR LEGAL UNION MEMBERS AND AMERICAN WORKERS IN GENERAL.

UNIONS TOOK THE EASY ROUTE WHEN THE INVASION BEGAN....AND THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THAT.

BUT....AGRIPROCESSORS WANTS THIS TO HAPPEN SO THAT THEIR COMPANY WONT BE UNIONIZED. THEY WANT TO HIRE MORE ILLEGALS. BUT THEY WONT GET AWAY WITH IT.

THIS CENTERS AROUND A VOTE BY EMPLOYEES TO UNIONIZE AGRIPROCESSORS. AND THE COMPANY IS TRYING TO SAY THIS VOTE DOES NOT COUNT.

BUT THE REPLACEMENT EMPLOYEES....IF THEY ARE LEGAL....CAN JOIN THE UNION. PROBLEM IS THAT IF THEY HIRE WORK VISA PEOPLE...THOSE WILL BE DOCILE PEOPLE AND THEY MIGHT BE AFRAID TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE UNION.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR DRAWBACKS OF THE WORK VISA.

THIS IS WHY THERE SHOULD BE NO WORK VISAS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF AMERICANS TO DO THESE JOBS. HIRE AMERICANS, TRAIN AMERICANS IF NECESSARY.

This is why I stated the 1984 Supreme Court decision which essentially gave illegals the right to join unions needs to be over turned, considering the detrimental impact illegal imigration has on this country in 2008. It would perhaps place unions in the precarious position of having to take a more active role in this fight! Companies with union shops could not fill their ranks with illegal invaders with the hopes of union busting in mind. The unions would never allow that to happen. That is a good point.

What amazes me in this case is that Agriprocessors is taking such a high profile position! You would think they would keep a low profile considering their Iowa operation was found to have been employing close to 400 illegals.

It would seem to me they would do everything in their power to disassociate themselves from the term "illegal" and anything to do with any of their operations! But that's not the case. Just goes to show you the power of money and big business in this country...

The workers, most of them immigrants from Mexico, complained of low pay, not receiving time-and-a-half for overtime and not having health insurance or paid holidays.

“It was a dirty place to work, and they treated some of the workers real bad

DUH!!!

Why do you think they hire you illegals??? LOL
You're not doing the jobs Americans won't do, it's jobs Americans are too smart to do for the wages that YOU illegals got dumbed down AND DO!!!!
Man, where's your brains at? You are just slaves to them and ignorant of it.

This is just too funny. The supreme court ruled in favor of breaking federal law, but did not state the law was unconstitutional. Then one of the most infamous employers of illegals are complaining that illegals are joining a union when they can't even legally work here. The irony is just too rich. I think the very appeal should be enough evidence for homeland security and Ice to toss the book at all of these employers.

Originally Posted by cayla99

This is just too funny. The supreme court ruled in favor of breaking federal law, but did not state the law was unconstitutional. Then one of the most infamous employers of illegals are complaining that illegals are joining a union when they can't even legally work here. The irony is just too rich. I think the very appeal should be enough evidence for homeland security and Ice to toss the book at all of these employers.

Political correctness!
Nice little America .... whoops where did it go?
I remember America up until 2000, it was great.

Clearly the closing of every major plant means huge job losses for the majority of the US, any intelligent company would leave the US, then I’d go too and become management. Instead we should just adopt all of Central America as a new state then shut off the boarder at the Panama Canal, no fence needed, we get cheap labor, our educated move up to management positions, the police can infiltrate Central America to stop drugs and clean up corruption, we could then tax everyone, get more free oil, expand our military force, increase our GDP, and keep all the benefits here in the Americas, but that would never happen because most Americans are simply too dumb to accept it. The imaginary walls between our countries serve no purpose other than to stifle our economy filling the wallets of big businessmen and drug dealers allowing them to charge more for less.