Plant Drops Labor Day For Muslim Holiday

WSMV Nashville ^ | August 1, 2008 | WSMV Nashville

[americanophile]

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. -- Some workers at a local plant will no longer to be able to take their Labor Day holiday because of religious reasons.

Workers at the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day but will instead be granted the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

According to a news release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a new five-year contract at the plant included the change to accommodate Muslim workers at the plant. Tyson's director of media relations Gary Mickelson said the contract includes eight paid holidays -- the same number as the old contract.

Eid al-Fitr -- which falls on Oct. 1 this year -- marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

Union leaders said implementing the holiday was important for the nearly 700 Muslims, many of them Somalis, who work at the plant that employs a total of 1,200 people.

Nineteen-year plant veteran William Pentecost doesn’t agree with the decision.

"I don’t think it's right. I really don't think it's right," he said.

Tyson company spokeswoman Libby Lawson said by phone that, "This isn't a religious accommodation, this is a contractual agreement. The majority asked for it."

The change didn’t bother some workers.

"I think it's fine. I don’t have any problem with it. There's a whole bunch of them here, so they've got to do something for them," said worker John Smith.

"It shouldn't happen. I mean, I think, we're in America, you're in America, I think that they should go with our holidays," Pentecost said.

Channel 4's Cynthia Williams could not reach any of the plant’s Muslim workers, because Channel 4 News' crew was not permitted on the property.

Former employee and Shelbyville resident Anthony Proctor said he thinks what's happening is wrong.

He said he helped build a special Muslim prayer room that's located inside the plant and that no other Tyson facility has been that accommodating for any other religion.

"If we want to go pray, we don’t have one for Christians," he said.

Tyson is headquartered in Arkansas.

Lawson said they consider religious accommodations on a case-by-case basis. She said that so far, no one has asked for any other type of religious prayer room.

No one at the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union’s regional office answered phone calls placed by Williams on Friday.

A representative in New York said that no one there knew specifics about the new contract with the workers, but a person in research told Williams that holidays aren't usually replaced and are more likely to be added on.

The decision will only apply to workers at the plant who are union members. All other employees at the plant will still have their normal Labor Day holiday.

[americanophile]

So all union members don't a Muslim holiday off in midweek October instead of OUR NATIONAl Labor Day, and Muslim workers get their own poultry prayer room...this is how it starts. If this is allowed to stand we will be just like Britain in time.

[normy]

By the way, don't use the word "crusade" it offends them.

I quit buying Tyson long ago. It's Pilgrims Pride for me.

[americanophile]

Tell their Media Relations chief what you think:
Gary Mickelson, Media Relations
gary.mickelson@tyson.com
(479) 290-6111 (206) 220-6871

[E. Cartman]

I quit buying Tyson long ago. It's Pilgrims Pride for me.

Time to strike "Tyson" from my list.

Pagans: 1

Patriots: 0

[Disturbin]

We had ed il fitur (?) as a holiday when I was a kid twenty years ago.

I guess MA was ahead of the curve with the kneepads!

[Crawdad]

If this is true, I just ate my last piece of Tyson chicken.

[Westbrook]

Don’t buy Tyson chicken.

Don’t buy fast-food chicken, either/

Butcher your own, if you can.

If you live in the country, there are plenty enough folk who butcher their own and you can buy from them.

In fact, there are a lot of folks going into the small-farm poultry business around where I live.

Pay the extra $0.50 a pound. It’s worth it.

[DoughtyOne]

My wife knows I won’t let Tyson into our home. She finds other things to by.

I explained it to her like this. The owners hated everything you believe in, and have tried to destroy those things as best they could.

Don’t fund someone who wants to destroy your beliefs.

[normy]

I do my best not to buy Muslim, but Nancy Pelosi insists.

[TruthFactor]

If this is true, I just ate my last piece of Tyson chicken.

Same here.

[normy]

.50 a pound? Oh my consumer confidence is being shaken.

[mrsmel]

Exactly. And those of us who don’t oppose it and loudly, we’ll get what we deserve, just like the Brits did for being either too apathetic or too cowed by the PC police to speak up.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wow. Just, Wow.

[americanophile]

It’s all Foster Farms out here in the West...I didn’t know Tyson’s owners were so bad, fill me in!

[AuntB]

“If this is true, I just ate my last piece of Tyson chicken.

Same here.”

I haven’t eaten Tyson since 1991 when I found out how tied up they are with the Clintons. I even got one NW distributor to stop carrying Tyson. In their pocket books is the only way to change this.

[headstamp 2]

Fascinating how a union throws “their” holiday (Labor Day) overboard for something like this.

[silentreignofheroes]

Alright,We grow for Pride.Chicken,the other “White Meat”.

[AuntB]

“Union leaders said implementing the holiday was important for the nearly 700 Muslims, many of them Somalis, who work at the plant that employs a total of 1,200 people.”

700 out of 1,200 are Somalis? This is what they call diversity? That’s a takeover. I’m surprised LaRaza will put up with this.

[labette]

What passes for “chicken” nowadays is woefully lacking from the real thing a generation ago.

[labette]

LOL!

[normy]

You grow chicken for Bo? Well I already know he wont sell a fat yella chicken.

[silentreignofheroes]

I would go back 2 to 3 .

[silentreignofheroes]

Whos’ Bo.

[Las Vegas Ron]

"I think it's fine. I don’t have any problem with it. There's a whole bunch of them here, so they've got to do something for them," said worker John Smith".

A real loyal American there John boy!!

[DoughtyOne]

Old man Tyson was in tight with the Clintons. I forget all the particulars now, but they were cozy doing each other favors over the years. I believe that part of it was that he allowed the firm to walk all over EPA rules for big donations and support. Tyson was fowling (play on words) a local river with plant waste.

There is quite a bit more to it, but that’s about all I recall at this moment. Tyson was a large growing concern in Arkansas in the late 1980s early 1990s. The old man was quite politically active.

[normy]

Bo Pilgrim.

[Chode]

i guess theres no doubt now who this union will vote for come november. like there ever was any...

[mrsmel]

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a planned takeover. i remember reading a story here at FR about a group of Somalis who deliberately targeted a small town (I think it was in Maine), which didn’t have much industry, but had just enough of an economy to support its few residents. It didn’t have much call for social services either. A group of Somalis moved to it, and when there were no jobs, they all sought benefits. The town was too small to support all their requirements, as more and more of them moved in, and the town was bankrupted, IIRC. I wish I could find the thread about here.

[ken21]

unbelievable!

[labette]

You can recall what a “free range” chicken tasted like compared to his confinement raised descendants?

We only have to go back to the early seventies in my neighborhood.

[elcid1970]

I’ve read something only recently to the effect of

Those whom the Muslims cannot immediately conquer, they harass, sue, and bankrupt.

So their Koran commands them to do, the worthless BLOODY SAVAGES!!!

):^(

[freekitty]

Yep, let’s punish the good and reward the bad.

[americanophile]

the problems we’re importing today will haunt us forever

[silentreignofheroes]

Got it,and they do keep you busy.

[freekitty]

I never buy Tyson.

[DoughtyOne]

What you have is about a twenty-seven year relationship between Don Tyson and the Clintons.

Here is a link to some of the first dealings between the two men.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/fm.clinton/

Here is a link to some of Clinton's last favors for Tyson.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/irrad/tysontakeover.cfm

More on Tyson from a rather interesting site.  You may wish to take a look to see if you want to discount this information.  I have no reason to doubt this information though.

I don't normally report on every strike here but the words "Tyson Foods" reminded me of an interesting political connection. One of the forgotten roles Tyson Foods played is as a patron to the Clintons: It was James Blair, the chief outside counsel for Tyson Foods, who oversaw the commodities trades for Hillary Clinton when she invested about $1,000 and in just 10 months cleared an astonishing $100,000. Not bad. And Tyson Foods' head honcho, Don Tyson, raised several hundred thousand dollars for Bill Clinton's political races.

http://workinglife.typepad.com/daily_blog/2005/10/ugly_tyson_food.html


There seems to be ample information about Don Tyson and Company on the Internet.  Google the guy and read up.

[normy]

By the way, I love “old dogs and children...and watermelon wine.” I also love “burgers and fries and cherry pies”

[normy]

Well since the Clinton years I have soured on them, now even more reason to despise.

[DakotaRed]

I stopped buying Tyson products when they showed support for the ILLEGAL immigrant demonstrations. Looks like I won’t be regretting my decision any time soon.

[silentreignofheroes]

Going into free range or pasture poultry next year.Small time ,just to see if it takes off.

[TornadoAlley3]

Former employee and Shelbyville resident Anthony Proctor said he thinks what’s happening is wrong.

He said he helped build a special Muslim prayer room that’s located inside the plant and that no other Tyson facility has been that accommodating for any other religion.

[mrsmel]

Well, at least only until the last “typical white” American is either dhimmi-ised or beheaded, at any rate. Then America will be no more, I just haven’t decided if it will be a socialist workers’ paradise or part of the Caliphate.

[americanophile]

[americanophile]

thanks!

[I still care]

The majority wanted it. There were 700 muslim workers out of a total of 1200. 7 out of 12.

I wouldn’t work there for love or money. Next they’ll be voting that everyone has to wear headscarves. And I am going to think next time I go into the store to buy chicken.

I don’t care what anyone says or thinks, racism or not. All they need is one nutty jihadist who thinks food terrorism sounds like a good idea.

[politicalwit]

Before you start patting Pilgrim’s Pride on the back you might want to watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF5c-iOPkfw or perhaps read this... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041708dnmetice.6c9184cf.html

[antiunion person]

This isn’t a religious accommodation, yeah right. The rag heads are taking over our country thanks to the politicians. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Not the other way around. As time goes by, our country is turning into France and the other European countries are. Next we will have the riots they did in France.

[silentreignofheroes]

Before we sign off;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HU-C4Wost8

[Gay State Conservative]

I'll be scratching Tyson off of my shopping list from now on.

[normy]

Pilgrim's Pride wasn't charged.

"We have cooperated fully with the government," said Ray Atkinson, a Pilgrim's Pride spokesman, at corporate headquarters in Pittsburg, Texas.

Pilgrim's Pride also participates in a federal government program to voluntarily check Social Security numbers against workers' names in two government databases, Mr. Atkinson said. The program is known as E-Verify. It has been criticized as error-prone and because it can't detect workers who are using authentic Social Security numbers connected to a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident. "Unfortunately, it does not detect ID theft situations," Mr. Atkinson said of E-Verify.

From your link. By the way I would rather have Catholic illegals processing chicken than Somali Muslims.