This is the company that owns Wayne's Farms, the chicken processor in Decatur Alabama that has had 212 of it's employees test positive for TB.

Wayne's Farms closed in Alabama on May1 2006 to accomodate their workers march.

COMPANY INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdail ... test.shtml

Day off for immigrants’ rally
Wayne Farms closing plant today to allow Hispanic employees to join protests


By Eric Fleischauer
DAILY Business Writer
eric@decaturdaily.com · 340-2435

Wayne Farms LLC is closing one of its three Decatur plants today to permit its approximately 590 Latino employees to take part in rallies advocating immigration reform.

As of Sunday night, the nearest organized rallies during a national immigration protest were to be in Huntsville. Reform advocates there expect as many as 5,000 to participate in a downtown march.

Wayne Farms spokesman Frank Singleton said the company began crystallizing its position on immigration reform about six weeks ago, when it became apparent that the issue soon would come to a head.

"We support immigration reform," Singleton said Sunday. "We've written letters and been to Capitol Hill on the subject and believe a guest-worker visa of some sort is a good solution."

Wayne Farms has two Alabama chicken plants that are predominantly Latino, the slaughter plants in Albertville and Decatur.

For both plants, Wayne let employees work Saturday so their absences today would not inhibit production. Singleton said the attendance Saturday was close to 100 percent.

"We tried to make sure that they knew we understand and support their position, but we have obligations to our customers," Singleton said. "We felt this was a good compromise."

Singleton said this is the first time he knew of that Wayne Farms has changed work schedules to facilitate employees' political advocacy efforts.

Wayne Farms' further-processing plants, recently built on Plugs Drive, have more stringent English-language requirements than does the slaughter plant, Singleton said, so fewer Latinos work there.

The fresh plant, on Ipsco Road, has 845 employees. Between 65 percent and 75 percent are Latinos.

"We support resolving this issue," Singleton said. "Resolution is in our best interest, and the best interest of our employees."

Immigration pilot program

Wayne Farms has been a participant in an Immigration and Naturalization Service pilot program for about six years, Singleton said, so it has few if any undocumented workers.

Singleton said Wayne Farms' position in support of a guest-worker visa program has earned it loyalty from its employees and from its host communities.

Even non-Latino employees appreciated the fact that they did not have to lose a day of wages for a cause that does not directly affect them.

"The idea of just shutting down a plant and everybody losing a day of work was not something anyone wanted," Singleton said. "The ability to come in on a Saturday seemed to be the best opportunity for everybody to work it out."

He said non-Latino employees tend to support their colleagues' views on the need for reform.

"We know they want to work and they have a right to work. Their co-workers generally support them in that."

Kate Shaughnessy, deputy campaign manager for the Washington, D.C.-based New American Opportunity Campaign, said her organization has been surprised at Alabama's level of interest in immigration reform, including that of Wayne Farms and other employers.

"We're getting to know more about Alabama. Alabama hasn't had a long history of immigrant rights organizations or support. It's exciting to see," Shaughnessy said Sunday.

"We're trying to keep alive the alliances between Alabama's business, faith and labor, their African-Americans, and the civil rights community. We want them all to keep moving in a positive direction."

Shaughnessy said corporate actions, such as Wayne Farms closing its plant today, are critical to the immigration reform movement.

"That's a level of commitment way beyond the letter-writing and lobbying we've seen so far," she said.

Singleton said Wayne Farms sees immigration reform as an important issue for U.S. employers and employees, but it needs to balance its support for such reform with customer commitments.

"The best-case scenario is raised awareness of the issue, but without a work stoppage," Singleton said. "That's what we would like to see."



http://www.contigroup.com/2004_about_history.html

Company History

Founded by Simon Fribourg in 1813, the company first established itself as a grain trading firm based in Arlon, Belgium and, later, in Antwerp. It grew steadily over the next several decades, taking advantage of an expanding urban population, advances in agriculture, improved railway transportation, and tariff reductions in most European countries. In the 1890's, the company entered the flour milling business, building its first mill at Arlon. During World War I, it moved its offices to London and, in 1919, resumed operations in Antwerp under the name Compagnie Continentale d'Importation. Over the next several years, the company continued to expand operations in Europe, opening offices in Paris, Rotterdam, Genoa, and Bucharest.

In 1921, the company entered a new phase in its history by beginning operations in the United States. Key developments during this period include:

1921. The company sets up its first American office in Chicago, under the name Continental Grain. It pays $75 for the first month's rent and purchases a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade for $6,000. In the same year, the company sets up a New York office, at 2 Broadway, which later becomes the firm's world headquarters.

1928. Continental purchases its first U.S. grain elevator, in St. Louis. By 1935, it controls seven elevators in the United States through lease or purchase.

1940. Following the German invasion of France, the Fribourg family leaves Europe for the United States. Michel Fribourg diverts one of the company's ships to pick up the family in Lisbon.

1944. Michel Fribourg becomes Chief Executive Officer at the age of 31. The Company moves its headquarters from Paris to New York.

1964. Continental sells one million tons of wheat to the Soviet grain-purchasing agency Exportkhleb, the first major U.S grain sale to the Soviet Union. In 1972, the company makes another major sale to the Russians of 10 million tons of grain.

1965. Continental acquires 51% of Allied Mills, a major feed producer as well as a producer of fresh poultry. Allied's first two poultry plants are located at Albertville and Union Springs, Alabama. The acquisition brings the company into livestock production and processing and provides the foundation for the subsequent development of Wayne Farms and ContiBeef.

1970. The Allied Mills poultry division expands to include seven processing plants and three egg production and processing units. In 1974, Allied Mills becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Grain.

1975. Allied Mills acquires Coronado Feeders, the first facility in what would become Continental's Cattle Feeding Division (later ContiBeef). The cattle feeding business expands with the acquisition of XIT Feeders in 1978, Colorado Beef in 1979, and Grant County Feeders in 1981.

1978. The Continental Poultry Division acquires its plant in Dobson, North Carolina and begins deboning operations.

1979. Continental Grain opens the first foreign-owned feed mill in China in a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand. The new business, Conti Chia Tai International (CCTI) transforms the Chinese feed industry and paves the way for the company's further expansion into China.

1998. The company purchases a 51% interest in Premium Standard Farms, one of the largest fully integrated pork producers in the United States.

1999. The company completes the sale of its commodity marketing business and changes its name to ContiGroup Companies, Inc. With the sale of this business, Conti turns its principal focus to meat proteins.

2000. ContiGroup sells its Animal Nutrition Division business to Hubbard Feeds of Mankato, Minnesota.

2002. Wayne Farms acquires its 13th processing facility at College Park, Georgia.

2004. Wayne Farms begins construction of a three-phase, state-of-the-art further-processing facility in Decatur, Alabama.