Tyson Foods fires 42 undocumented workers

Fredericksburg News ^ | May 20, 2004 | The Associated Press

[holyscroller]

Tyson Foods Inc. has fired 8 percent of its workforce at its Harrisonburg plant, all immigrant workers who could not verify their employment documents, company officials said.

The company earlier this month suspended 63 workers and gave them until last Friday to prove their legal status in the U.S., or face permanent dismissal.

By Monday, 42 workers were fired for submitting falsified employment documents, said company spokeswoman Libby Lawson. She said the rest were found to have proper paperwork and were allowed to return. Two, however, decided to quit and find other employment, she said.

"We were very disappointed," Lawson said.

Tyson Foods discovered problems with the employees' work documents during a routine audit about three weeks ago. The 42 fired workers had used Social Security numbers that had originated in Puerto Rico, Lawson said. All 63 questioned have Latino surnames, but their nationalities were not known.

Lawson said once the company's investigation is complete, the company would forward its report to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Tyson corporate office conducts audits of its hiring process at least once a year, selecting the location at random. Lawson said it would be a daunting task for the Springdale, Ark., company to perform an audit for all of its 120,000 employees.

The Harrisonburg plant employs 550 workers and processes 660,000 chickens a week for the fast-food and deli markets. Lawson said the firings were necessary to abide by the law, and will be costly for the company and local economy.

However, immigration problems are nothing new for the chicken giant.

An audit in March found 450 undocumented workers at a Tyson meatpacking plant in Dakota City, Neb., of which at least 250 were fired.

Last year, Tyson Foods and five of its managers were acquitted of charges linking them to an immigrant-smuggling scheme. One manager pleaded guilty to related charges in 2002.

[holyscroller]

Good old Tyson. America's sleeziest company, still operating under Clinton morals.

[curlewbird]

"Lawson said it would be a daunting task for the Springdale, Ark., company to perform an audit for all of its 120,000 employees."


Uh, not if you check them out BEFORE you hire them! And perhaps if you wouldn't bus them up here, you wouldn't have this problem!!

[reformed_democrat]

perhaps if you wouldn't bus them up here, you wouldn't have this problem!!

Hear, hear!

Does anyone know if McDonald's is still using Tyson chicken?

[FITZ]

It's about time --- but you're right --- we don't often see illegals going around knocking on doors looking for jobs, or coming in off the streets filling out job applications. When they cross the border, they're headed to particular destinations, they're recruited and brought in by the semi-truck loads.

[Tacis]

And, in 25 years, there will be 100 Mexicans claiming US social security benefits based of the earnings under these fake numbers. They'll be used over and over again.

Now, I know these aren't great jobs, but aren't there now 42 jobs that some basically unemployable Americans, dare I say, black Americans, are capable of doing? And, EVERY dollar a black American earns on a job, no matter how marginal, will be reinvested back into the US economy and not mailed back to third world mafioso.