In 1987, the NY Rubashkin family bought the old plant and turned it into a kosher beef and chicken meat-packing plant. They were literally given the keys to the city, tax exemptions, subsidies, etc. The locals were thrilled, 400+ were gradually employed.
About 1990, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) showed up and began organizing to collectively bargain for unionization.
The locals are not sympathetic to unions but some employees were disgruntled with the Rubashkins and also wanted more pay. So the Rubashkins began to import illegal Guatemalan families, who spoke no English, to replace the locals, especially the union-leaners.
There were no illegals in NE IA prior so the Guatemalans so they were an isolated group, unavailable to the unions or to the labor inspectors. Documents were forged, wholesale, with the knowledge of the Rubashkins, that included making many of the illegals older on paper, so the whole family could work.
The Rubashkins made them work 12 hour shifts without overtime, minimum wage, minimal benefits. They turned it into a sweat-shop nearly full of illegals.
Now the Rubashkins are busted, closed the plant and filed bankruptcy.
I believe the Rubashkins planned this from the beginning and that every decision was based on greed and indifferance to the law. They thought they could come to hayseed Iowa where they would get the red-carpet treatment, avoid the unions that run NY, avoid immigration authorities who have vitually no presence in Iowa as there are minimal illegals, pay minimum wage, and work people like slaves.
I am not a union supporter, but this is the kind of worker abuse that government won't stop without them.
From CBS News:
"They don't understand the poverty that we know in Guatemala," Rucal says. "I never hurt anyone here all I want to do is work." She says she paid $14,000 to smuggle her 14-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter to the U.S. they say, even though they're minors, they worked at the plant along with their mother to pay down the debt. Now they may testify in a criminal case against the company.
Check out this link if you want to see what news sources are saying about the Rubashkins:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/kosher_meat_scandal/index.html
And this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Rubashkin
The Rubashkin family has a history of bank fraud, pocketing union dues, illegal storage of hazardous waste, lying to authorities. Their Montex Mill, burnt down by arson 3 days before it was to be sold at a sheriff's auction for unpaid taxes.
Now they are claiming they are victims of a pogrom against them.
Thanks for all your information. Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse...
We complain so often on FR about Muslim clerics not condemning jihadists, but where are the Rabbis who should be unified in shunning and condemning these crooks?
Instead, the Rubashkins paid for Rabbis to come out to Iowa and glorify their efforts. Shame on Jewish leadership for not speaking out and criticizing the Rubashkins for hiding behind the good name of the Jews.