Thread: Pilgrim's Pride Imports Burmese Refugees To Take American jo

Pilgrim’s hiring Burmese refugees

Company bringing in around 200 to fill new deboning line

Posted: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 2:00 am





Marie Leonard | 10 comments

Pilgrim's Pride in Nacogdoches, Texas is expecting to expand its workforce by approximately 200 people this year, as the company transitions to a manual deboning process.

However, a few issues have company officials looking for refugees from the country of Burma to help fill the need for employees.

"The fundamental issue and the good news behind this is that we are expanding our labor force," John Thomasson, Pilgrim's human resources manager, said. "Implementing the manual deboning lines will bring in an additional 100 to 200 people, which can add as much as $2 to $5 million to our local economy."

The main challenge will be finding good workers in the local environment, since there are more than 3,500 people currently working in poultry processing within 30 miles of Nacogdoches," Thomasson said. "Pilgrim's is constantly hiring new employees locally, but they still aren't able to fill all the positions, even with some employees driving in from 60 miles away," he said.

"We have to get a little creative in finding more ways to expand the labor force, so we are potentially bringing in some number of refugees," Thomasson said. "However, we are planning to do this carefully and in a phased way. With the change to manual deboning lines it's probably not going to be until April or May when we start the process."

Since the deboning process will be phased in, so will the hiring. While a few people may be brought in over the next month, the long-term projected numbers range from 150 to 200 people, Thomasson said.

"The addition of manual deboning lines will help us operate more efficiently and improve our ability to compete," Robert Garlington, Nacogdoches plant manager, said in a press release Tuesday. "In addition, this is great news for our local economy. With the addition of these new jobs, the economic benefit to Nacogdoches and the surrounding area will be significant."

At this time, some of the greatest number of people locating to Texas and the country are Burmese, who make up a number of different ethnic groups within Burma, Thomasson said. The largest ethnic groups entering the country are the Karen and Karenni groups, who reside in the southern part of Burma, which has been ruled by repressive military regimes since the 1960s, according to a report on the U.S. Department of State's website. Burma is approximately 90 percent Buddhist, but the Karen and Karenni populations are 40 percent Christian, according to the report.

"(Adjusting) is a critical part of successful implementation, so we will have a Burmese-speaking liaison who will integrate them into the workforce," Thomasson said.

Thomasson and other local city, county and education officials have received assistance over the past few weeks from Gary Watkins and Reed Iwami, two men who operate The Burma Connection, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization. Since 2004, Watkins and Iwami have traveled to Burma, where they have helped provide basic necessities to children, developed Christian schools in the poorest sections of the city of Yangon, and helped relocate the refugees to the United States.

"They were here to speak to our group of people to give us a background into the Burmese people and their situation," Thomasson said. "We've been working with people in the community and doing research with all kinds of groups to make sure we understand this and can carry it out in the best way possible."

According to Pilgrim's Pride contracts, the workers will make an entry pay rate when they begin, but after 90 days they will be eligible to make $10.10 an hour with a full range of benefits, Thomasson said. The living situation details are currently being worked out, and Thomasson said he is trying to approach the situation in a systematic way.

"There may have to be a temporary living system for awhile until long-term housing becomes available," Thomasson said.

"We have had no requests for permits yet, but there has been discussion about where, in a boarding house atmosphere, the workers could be housed until they could find permanent residences," Jim Jeffers, city manager, added.

From an economic standpoint, community officials are pleased Pilgrim's will be increasing their employment, Jeffers said.

"It could mean an increase of $3 or $4 million a year locally, and that's significant," he said. "Our research has indicated most of the Burmese immigrants here are Christian and family-oriented. We know that presents some challenges for community members to accept an influx of newcomers to our community."

Since the hiring process will be in phases over the next few months, the workers probably won't be bringing all of their family members at once, Jeffers said. Officials involved are planning to coordinate with local school systems as workers and their families arrive with children.

While he expected some push back at first, community leaders have been incredibly positive thus far, Thomasson said.

"We are working very hard with community leaders to make sure this is not a positive thing just for the company and workers involved, but for the community as well," he said. "We are doing everything we can to make sure that happens, and if you do the right things the right way, it's a win-win situation all the way around."

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Marie Leonard can be reached at mleonard@dailysentinel.com

http://dailysentinel.com/news/article_e ... 03286.html

Here is my letter to Pilgrim Pride.


We are VERY angry at Pilgrim Pride’s decision to bring in 200 Burmese immigrants to your plant located in Nacogdoches, Texas. With 22 million Americans looking for a jobs one would think that Pilgrim’s Pride would be more interested in helping the unemployed of this country get back to work. Instead you turn your back on Americans in need and sell out this country out of greed. I am going to make sure America knows of your plans and hopefully we can generate enough hard feeling towards your company that it will affect your profits. Remember, it is America who YOU depend on to buy your products, not Burma. First it was illegal aliens from Mexico, now refugees from Burma. You are proving to America that Pilgrim’s Pride has no ethics and could care a less about America.


http://www.pilgrims.com/company/contact-us.aspx

Businesses shouldn't be allowed to bring any foreign workers in this country until ALL other alternatives to recruit workers has been exhausted! Instead of bringing in foreign workers, the company should be required to go to the state welfare office and unemployment centers to do some recruiting there. Anyone on welfare living in that county should be REQUIRED to go to work, or lose their welfare.

All these foreigners they bring in will never go home and will be on welfare themselves once they figure out how this government rewards those who sit on their @$$!

Nacogdoches Pilgrim's Pride recruiting Burmese for hundreds of jobs
Posted: Jan 12, 2011 5:33 PM CST Updated: Jan 12, 2011 5:33 PM CST

Nacogdoches Pilgrim's Pride recruiting Burmese for hundreds of jobs


By Donna McCollum - email

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - Pilgrim's Pride is going around the world to find employees.

"When you've depleted the local labor force you have to start trying to get creative," said John Thomasson, human resources manager.

Pilgrim's is needing employees to work a future manual poultry deboning line. Automation wastes too much meat. Management expects refugees will be more efficient.

"And we want to do this right, so we're not just going out and just gathering up a whole bunch of people," Thomasson said.

Instead, the company is working with agencies, such as the Burma connection. It's helping relocate refugees of Burma into the United States. The transition isn't easy. Thousands live in refugee camps in Thailand. From rice paddies and bamboo huts, they come to metropolitan cities, including Houston, to learn American ways.

"We're really trying to understand what makes a refugee successful and becoming integrated not only in the company, but even in the community they live in," Thomasson said.

A key component is local leadership.

"Pilgrim's could have done this without even including us," NEDCO Chairman Ed Poole said. "They could have just hired them and brought them in and so we're very appreciative they've done that."

There will be about 200 employees, but they will come with families. The Nacogdoches school district has been told to be prepared for about 300 to 400 additional children.

"It's very workable," said Ronnie Knox, assistant superintendent at NISD.

And as Pilgrim's is hiring a Burmese liason, so will the school district.

"We spoke with Dumas in West Texas that had some of the same type of people move in with them," Knox said. "They gave us some insight on how to integrate them into the school system."

A lot of logistics must be worked out before the first families arrive by the spring. Social services and temporary housing for workers coming with nothing are still being addressed.

Copyright 2011 KTRE. All rights reserved.


http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=13833199


"When you've depleted the labor force you have to get creative? " 22 million Americans are out of work, how creative do you have to be you idiot?

There will be about 200 employees, but they will come with families. The Nacogdoches school district has been told to be prepared for about 300 to 400 additional children.

"It's very workable," said Ronnie Knox, assistant superintendent at NISD.

And as Pilgrim's is hiring a Burmese liason, so will the school district.

"We spoke with Dumas in West Texas that had some of the same type of people move in with them," Knox said. "They gave us some insight on how to integrate them into the school system."

How in the world can the interest of a company be put ahead of the country? These people are not going to "integrate!" This is a lie!

They have to go to the other side of the world to recruit third-worlders when millions of Americans are out of work!

NISD planning for arrival of refugees

Nacogdoches Independent School District Administrators focusing on where, how to instruct hundreds of children


Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 2:00 am

Marie Leonard | 2 comments

The addition of approximately 200 political refugees from the country of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is in the near future for Pilgrim's Pride in Nacogdoches, as the company begins the transition to a manual deboning process.

Nacogdoches ISD administrators have been in the process of deciding how to best accommodate hundreds of children who might be coming with the refugees into the local school system this year. An informational meeting was hosted by NISD Superintendent Dr. Rodney Hutto and Ronny Knox, assistant superintendent for instruction, on Tuesday night to discuss the issue and answer any questions community members had.

"When you put a face to this issue, you see where not only our opportunities are, but where our challenges are," Knox said. "There is a school system in Myanmar, but these people aren't allowed to attend. Most of these people have lived in the jungle, hiding, so we are starting at very rudimentary skills."

The district had to break down the issue into two parts, which included finding a facility to house the students during the school day, along with deciding how to instruct the students. District officials have been seeking help from the School of the Americas, an institution used to taking in refugees with 45 to 80 dialects.

"They divide the students by ability," Knox said. "You can walk into a room and see someone that's really tall and someone who is very short, but they are still on the same academic level."

NISD has also been in contact with representatives from the school district in Dumas, a city in West Texas with a slaughterhouse employing Burmese refugees, owned by the same company as Pilgrim's Pride, Knox said.

"What they decided to do was put the kids into the regular school setting, hoping they could catch up," he said. "That was a huge mistake because the students were way too far behind to function in a regular classroom."

The district has decided to set up a Newcomer's Center which can feed into the Newcomer's classes which are already established on other campuses, Knox said. After surveying buildings to find a place to house a possible 200 to 300 students, only two vacant classrooms were found elementary-wise. The Beall Gym, located on the Thomas J. Rusk Elementary campus, just had the roof replaced, so a renovation proposal for the facility is being worked on so the newcomers will have a comfortable place to begin learning the basics, Knox said.

"Pilgrim's hasn't been able to share with us what students we are getting, so we don't know if they've been in Houston for a year, two years or two months," he said. "We will separate them out by ability groups, and then we will start training them."

The goal is to teach the children basic social skills before they enter the other campuses, and the goal is to keep the students at Beall Gym for no more than a year, depending on what their individual needs are. Approximately four to six ESL-certified teachers would be needed for the Newcomer's Center, depending on how many refugees will be arriving at once, Knox said.

Carpenter Elementary Principal Lynn Harris asked if Pilgrim's Pride has decided where the refugees will be living, and how the students will get to school.

"They (Pilgrim's Pride) are working with our community leaders on that," Knox answered. "Apartment complexes have been mentioned, trailer parks have been mentioned. I think Pilgrim's would appreciate them being as close to the plant or a bus line as possible."

Negotiations have been occurring for approximately a month with Pilgrim's Pride, Hutto said when asked by Nacogdoches resident Melanie Theiss. Pilgrim's Pride continues to hire employees locally, but they do feel like they have exhausted the local workforce, Knox said.

Theiss asked why unemployed Americans from other parts of the country weren't selected instead, and NISD board member Mike Claude said he had asked the same question previously.

"I asked that question at the meeting I was invited to, and it was more or less put to us that the decision had already been made whether we liked it or not," he said. "They were coming, and it was up to us to figure out what to do with it. They didn't make us to sign anything, but they did more or less ask us to keep confidentiality about going to the meetings."

While the ideal start time for the students would be at the beginning of the fall semester, since the refugees are currently in Houston, they could be in Nacogdoches in one afternoon, Hutto said.

The possibility of splitting up the district's two middle schools into a 5th and 6th grade campus and 7th and 8th grade campus was also discussed Tuesday night. Lining up the campuses would provide a way to introduce the National Merit Scholar track, which needs to be started before high school, Knox said. The close age groups of the students at each campus would be a plus as well.

"Fifth grade seems to work better with 6th grade," he said. "Sixth graders just need a little bit of extra seasoning."

If the campus changes are approved, it would open up 20 classrooms at the elementary level, which could make more room for pre-kindergarten classes or Newcomer's classes.

The next informational community meeting will be on Feb. 8.

Marie Leonard can be reached at mleonard@dailysentinel.com


http://dailysentinel.com/news/article_2 ... 002e0.html


Education budgets are being cut, school are facing record budget short falls and over 100,000 teacher are expected to be laid off (mod edit) and educate them with money they don't have. Mean while American kids suffer.

Originally Posted by bigtex

Theiss asked why unemployed Americans from other parts of the country weren't selected instead, and NISD board member Mike Claude said he had asked the same question previously.

"I asked that question at the meeting I was invited to, and it was more or less put to us that the decision had already been made whether we liked it or not," he said. "They were coming, and it was up to us to figure out what to do with it. They didn't make us to sign anything, but they did more or less ask us to keep confidentiality about going to the meetings."

I'd like more detail on why they didn't offer this to unemployed Americans. I think it would not only be cheaper for Americans to move there, but easier on the school system and the entire community.

Originally Posted by sugarhighwolf

I'd like more detail on why they didn't offer this to unemployed Americans. I think it would not only be cheaper for Americans to move there, but easier on the school system and the entire community.

From what I am hearing from people who live there and also read in one of the blogs, Pilgrim Pride did absolutely no advertising for jobs in the area. They had no intention of hiring Americans and instead were looking for low wage slave labor instead.

Thanks for the link! Here's what I sent them:
To Whom it may Concern,
I have forwarded the article(Pilgrim’s hiring Burmese refugees ) to EVERYONE I know, this is in Canada and the US.
There are 22,000,000 (yes that IS MILLION) unemployed or under-employed Americans at this time, and you are going to bring in refugees? Good move! Just spit on us and then expect US to support YOU? It's companies like yours that makes this all the more sickening! GREED is your GOD, well we are going to hit you where it will hurt the most... in your greedy pocketbook.
People like you are traitors to America and you derserve nothing less than to be shamed, and I hope protested against. If there was a plant near me I certainly would be protesting your hiring practices. Since I don't I will be begging all my friends and family to boycott any and all of your products!

Totally DISGUSTED,
xxxxx

BOYCOTT!!!