Thread: Ex-poultry plant employees win federal lawsuit over firings

Oct. 26, 2007, 2:04PM
Ex-poultry plant employees win federal lawsuit over firings

© 2007 The Associated Press



ATHENS, Ga. — A federal jury has awarded $415,000 to two former poultry plant employees who were fired for complaining about fraud, hiring discrimination and other abuses by supervisors.

The U.S. District Court jury found that ConAgra Poultry Co. — later bought by Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp. — fired the women in September 2003 after they blew the whistle on an assistant to the human resources manager who made a fake Social Security card for an illegal immigrant who worked a side job for the plant's general manager.

The panel also found that the manager's assistant authorized falsified insurance coverage so another employee could claim his sister and nephew — also illegal immigrants — as dependents on his health plan.

In a decision Tuesday, the jury awarded Scarlet Reyna and Maria Ortega a combined $415,000 for lost wages and benefits, as well as emotional pain and mental anguish. They worked in the human resources department of the poultry plant in northern Clarke County.

The case was among the first of its kind to go to trial since Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which provides protection for whistleblowers, plaintiffs' attorney John F. Beasley Jr. said.

"Ms. Reyna and Ms. Ortega are very courageous women," Beasley said Thursday. "They were loyal to the company but refused to tolerate racial hostility and dishonesty by their supervisors."

Attorneys for ConAgra and Pilgrim's Pride did not return telephone calls from The Athens Banner-Herald seeking comment. Spokespeople for Pilgrim's Pride did not immediately respond to the AP's request for comment Friday.

The companies have 10 days to file an appeal.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 48883.html

Chickens being stomped, kicked by workers

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U6IY8pE6nVA


Boycott Pilgrim's Pride - Immigrations large pay role and draw to Georgia

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sF5c-iOPkfw