Thread: Homeless, felons help fill poultry jobs

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Homeless, felons help fill poultry jobs
South Georgia plant labors after immigration raid loss

By MARY LOU PICKEL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/26/06

Stillmore — Felons on probation and homeless men have filled some of the poultry jobs left by illegal Mexican laborers deported in raids two months ago.

About 40 convicted felons from the Macon Diversion Center are bused in each day to work at the Crider Poultry plant in Stillmore — the focus of the raids.

Additionally, 16 men from the Garden City Rescue Mission in Augusta have come to work in the plant. Several from the mission have become shift leaders, said Lavond Reynolds, director of men's housing for the mission.

"Compared to the attrition rate [at the plant] in general, these guys have really stuck so far," Reynolds said. The mission might send another 15 soon.

Still, that's just a drop in the bucket. The Crider plant is operating at about 450 employees — less than half its preraid level of 1,000, company president David Purtle said.

The Mexican population in Stillmore has plummeted since immigration officials first visited the Crider plant in May, town residents said. Immigration agents estimated that 700 workers were using fraudulent IDs. The company began checking documents and confronting employees. Many were fired and hundreds of illegal immigrants left town on their own throughout the summer.

Then, over Labor Day, federal agents rounded up and deported more than 125 illegal immigrants working at the Crider plant or living in Emanuel and surrounding counties.

That left Crider with a big labor gap, and finding workers to fill the jobs has been a challenge. Among the efforts and changes at the plant since the raids:

• The company outsourced 250 jobs in its raw deboning operation to Alabama.

• Some processing has slowed because of the downturn in the work force.

• Crider has turned to an outside company to hire about 100 workers to clean the plant each night.

• The company raised starting wages by about 40 cents and now offers attendance bonuses to new hires. Before, it took a year to be eligible for the extra pay. (Starting base pay is $6 an hour; most workers earn more through bonuses and overtime.)

• The company is spending more on hiring and training as turnover is high among new employees.

For instance, Crider advanced money to house the homeless men from the mission in trailers and to turn on their utilities. The company also pays to bus state probationers from Macon each day and is busing workers from surrounding communities.

Purtle said about 50 percent of applicants since the raids either did not pass the drug test or reference checks. Many of those who did have poor attendance or quit quickly.

"Our challenge is — in hiring unskilled people — their ability to understand what's expected of them," Purtle said. "Attendance is important. No acting up, no mouthing off. They just haven't learned."

The raids not only affected the chicken plant, but the surrounding community.

At least two landlords near Stillmore who rented to immigrants have put their properties up for sale. The Hispanic-run stores in town are operating at reduced hours.

"There's no people anymore," said Liliana Santos, 24, the clerk behind the counter at Salinas Surcusal No. 2 in downtown Stillmore.

"They don't have any jobs," she said in Spanish.

"Before, people would be walking around downtown," said Manuel Mendoza, 22, who stopped to buy tortillas. The store's jukebox played Mariachi music to an empty sideroom pool hall.

Mendoza has been in the United States 10 years and says he has a Social Security card and a job making pallets for $8.50 an hour. His hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico, has descended into anarchy with armed fighting in the streets, and he is in no hurry to return home.

Pastor Ariel Rodriguez drives around Stillmore, explaining what happened to each of the Mexican families that used to live in trailers and apartments.

"The majority of people have gone to Kentucky," he said. They knew a priest who used to live in the area and followed him up there, Rodriguez said. Other residents have gone back to Mexico.

At least one local businessman said his business has gone up since the raids. The churn of new folks applying and working at Crider has brought new customers to Mighty Mike's Hot Stop gas station and convenience store in town.

"They come in here and shop," said manager Willie Gordon. "Our inside sales have gone up $3,000 per week since the raids."

It's been a mixture of new clientele. But Gordon, who is African-American, attributes a good part of the increase to more black workers coming into town. Gordon notes: "You gotta be legal now."

All right creative solutions using our own citizens. How do we spread word of this? HOW do we get other companies to start checking SSN's. HOW do I get a raid to come to my town?

"They come in here and shop," said manager Willie Gordon. "Our inside sales have gone up $3,000 per week since the raids."

It's been a mixture of new clientele. But Gordon, who is African-American, attributes a good part of the increase to more black workers coming into town. Gordon notes: "You gotta be legal now."

American business catering to Americans! What a novel idea!

A question for Mendoza

In those ten years have you used your remittances to help your family in Oaxaca become more self sufficient beginning with food?

Are they still raising their food or are they buying it in supermarkets. If they raise their own food they can utilize free time and unemployed family. That enables savings which willl lift the quality of life right there in Oaxaca.

They don't have time to raise any food, they are too busy raising hell!

Yeah, just wait until Dec. 1st. Obrador, the presidential election loser just declared himself President of Mexico. Calderon is supposed to be declared president Dec. 1st. 2 parallel governments, riots, civil war?


This is'nt a pretty situation.

Originally Posted by CCUSA

Yeah, just wait until Dec. 1st. Obrador, the presidential election loser just declared himself President of Mexico. Calderon is supposed to be declared president Dec. 1st. 2 parallel governments, riots, civil war?


This is'nt a pretty situation.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving cesspool of a country. For various reasons, I stopped travelling to Mexico years ago. I have been there exactly once in the last 17 years - on business - and after that trip, in which our attempted business deal was clearly going to require shovelling piles of cash in mordida for various would-be partners and officials, I made the conscious decision to never spend another dime in that corrupt little hellhole. Prior to that, I had already sworn off the country because every time I was there I had the feeling that I was viewed as an open wallet ready for the picking rather than a human being and customer. Most of my trips there were for fishing, but I was soured on that by the blatant disregard for international protections of endangered species and the disgusting pollution issues that had us cutting through rafts of flotsam for miles before hitting clear water. I watched those jerks kill sea turtles, porpoises and other species and refuse in many cases to practice catch and release without a sizeable payoff. I REALLY have no use for that country.

Felons on probation and homeless men have filled some of the poultry jobs left by illegal Mexican laborers deported in raids two months ago.

Americans working.

Still, that's just a drop in the bucket. The Crider plant is operating at about 450 employees — less than half its preraid level of 1,000, company president David Purtle said.

At least two landlords near Stillmore who rented to immigrants have put their properties up for sale. The Hispanic-run stores in town are operating at reduced hours.

Their fault for catering to illegal aliens.

Mendoza has been in the United States 10 years and says he has a Social Security card and a job making pallets for $8.50 an hour. His hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico, has descended into anarchy with armed fighting in the streets, and he is in no hurry to return home.

Probably hoping for refugee status.

"The majority of people have gone to Kentucky," he said. They knew a priest who used to live in the area and followed him up there, Rodriguez said.

The church again....

Originally Posted by CCUSA

Yeah, just wait until Dec. 1st. Obrador, the presidential election loser just declared himself President of Mexico. Calderon is supposed to be declared president Dec. 1st. 2 parallel governments, riots, civil war?


This is'nt a pretty situation.

I was talking to a Mexican national today and he said he believes Mexico is on the verge of a revolution.

JUST WHERE IN KY., DID THEY GO?

I'm screaming and yelling now!