Thread: Smithfield Foods targeted in NC grocer protest

Smithfield Foods in Tarheel, NC is where the illegals were fired
for bogus numbers & documents. There was a walkout & Smithfield
caved in & rehired the employees. Apparently, these losers are
targeting Harris Teeter to protest Smithfield Foods.

http://www.wral.com/news/10454117/detail.html

Harris-Teeter Targeted By Smithfield Protesters

POSTED: 7:34 am EST December 4, 2006
UPDATED: 7:34 am EST December 4, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A protest against working conditions at a Bladen County packing plant reached across North Carolina this weekend.

Demonstrators in 11 cities urged the Harris-Teeter grocery chain to drop Smithfield Foods products until the company addresses allegations that its employees have been mistreated.

The pickets showed up Saturday at Harris-Teeter groceries from Asheville to Wilmington, choosing the grocery chain because it is based in North Carolina.

The Southern Faith, Labor and Community Alliance, a coalition of faith-based and community organizations from North Carolina, organized the protest with the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

The Washington-based union has tried unsuccessfully for years to organize workers at the Smithfield Packing Co. plant in Tar Heel, the world's largest pork processing factory.

The factory's 5,500 workers slaughter and disassemble 32,000 hogs per day, according to protest organizers.

Smithfield workers in Tar Heel voted in 1994 and 1997 against unionizing, but a federal appeals court ruled in May that the company harassed employees, threatened wage freezes and fired some union supporters before those elections.

In Raleigh, state NAACP president the Rev. William Barber joined protesters at a grocery downtown who bought a few products inside first to demonstrate that they are paying customers.

"We didn't buy any ham," Barber told more than 100 demonstrators outside. "We care about where our pork comes from. We will not swallow Smithfield pork that is packaged with worker abuse."

Saturday's demonstrations came about two weeks after hundreds of Smithfield workers walked off their jobs for two days to protest firings and working conditions that they say are abusive and dangerous.

Events will be organized at other grocery chains that sell products from the Tar Heel plant, Libby Manly of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union said at a demonstration in Asheville.

Harris Teeter's corporate offices in Matthews issued a statement Thursday in advance of the protests, saying the company "respects employees' rights to engage in concerted and union activities or, likewise, to refrain from doing so."

"To that end, any issues that may arise between Smithfield, their employees and labor organizations must be resolved between and among those respective parties," it said.

Bill Orlando talked briefly with demonstrators outside a Harris-Teeter in Hickory, saying afterward that he could see both sides of the debate because he worked as a rehabilitation counselor and consultant on workers compensation cases in Florida before he moved to North Carolina.

"I can see an employer's point of view," he said. "Once they are injured, it's difficult to place them in another job."

But, he added: "I think the word needs to get out if a company is abusing the system like this."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Is this about illegal immigration Dem4? You'd never know it from this article where this action began, with the firing of employees with questionable documents. Is this what passes for news in Raleigh?

Loserville,

It's from AP wire. I edited the intro. Thought there was enough
stuff on here about Smithfield with all the focus...

loservillelabor wrote:

Is this about illegal immigration Dem4? You'd never know it from this article where this action began, with the firing of employees with questionable documents. Is this what passes for news in Raleigh?

Seems our enemies (illegal immigrant advocates) are taking to the streets again. Honestly, I may have given these protesters the benefit of doubt had the United Food and Commercial Workers Union not been involved.

The Southern Faith, Labor and Community Alliance, a coalition of faith-based and community organizations from North Carolina, organized the protest with the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

We all know the release and/or firing of illegal immigrants is the fuel that ignited these marches - the United Food and Commercial Workers Union involvement is evidence of that.

Originally Posted by dem4labor

Loserville,

It's from AP wire. I edited the intro. Thought there was enough
stuff on here about Smithfield with all the focus...

Ah hey Dem4. I shoulda used a tongue in cheek icon. Which one is that?

This was a worker abuse protest I believe. Here's info in anybody's interested.

http://triangle.cosmopolity.org/calenda ... nt?id=3774

Wish I'd seen these guys at HarrisTeeter. I would have told them I
will shop HT even more now & they should support NC state laws
against identity theft & homeland security. I go to HT anyway because
they are not doing all the bilingual clerks. They also pay their employees
enough so they see it as a career. People have a good attitude in the
store & it's not full of illegals.

Hey Loserville, it was a good suggestion -- & yes the news here in
Raleigh does stink pretty badly

One follow-up -- I talked to the liason for identity theft at NC DoJ
today & she said she could not discuss the Smithfield Foods case as
they are gathering information. We'll see.

Great grocery store!

About four years ago our HT started replacing their workers with hispanic employees. They were notified by SSA that the most of the employee SSNs were suspicious. HT gave the employees a week to fix the discrepancy. The local hispanic advocacy groups (one who receives United Way funding) were complaining to HT in the newspapers and directly that the employess were being treated unfairly. HT stated they were just following the law. Most of the employees never showed back up for work and the others were let go. Nice to have the friendly english speaking employees back. Most of those employees have been there since. I shop there when I can.