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

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