Love and Justice Ministries Alert:
Protests Against Smithfield Packing for abuse of workers, Saturday, July 14th, Two Different Locations

Smithfield Packing in Tar Heel, North Carolina is the largest pork slaughterhouse in the world. Approximately 5500 workers kill and disassemble 32,000 hogs per day in this facility. The workers at this plant are enduring unbearable working conditions. Workers suffer crippling injuries due to excessive line speeds and inadequate training. Injury rates have gone up 200% in the last three years.

Additionally, various rulings from the US Court of Appeals and the National Labor Relations Board found in different cases that the company assaulted, used racial epithets against, intimidated, harassed, and threatened its workers with violence. Human Rights Watch has published two reports documenting dangerous conditions and countless abuses that workers at Smithfield suffer daily.

Immigrant workers at Smithfield Packing have suffered greatly. In the past, Smithfield has been found guilty of using intimidation and threats of calling immigration officials. Recently, U.S. Immigration officials arrested 21 workers inside the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, N.C. on administrative immigration charges. This happened after Smithfield voluntarily joined the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program (IMAGE) in July of 2006. . Following the arrests, hundreds of workers walked off the job.

Strangers No Longer is supporting the Nashville chapter of Interfaith Worker Justice in the struggle for the rights of workers at the Smithfield pork production plant in Tarheel, NC. We have taken interest in this issue not only because it affects immigrant workers, but because as people of faith, we should stand in solidarity with ALL workers especially if they face unsafe conditions, extremely low pay, intimidation, racism, or sexism.

If you or members of your congregations would like to take action on behalf of immigrants and workers rights, there are several opportunities in the coming weeks here in Nashville.

On Saturday, July 14, there will be a rally at two local grocery stores to demand the removal of Smithfield products from their shelves....at 11:00 AM at the H.G. Hills on 615 Gallatin and at 1:00 PM at the Publix on 4670 Lebanon Pike in Hermitage. On Saturday, August 4, there will be a rally at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to protest cooking show host Paula Deen's promotion of Smithfield products.

See http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/ for more information.

For more information, please contact Jason Sikma at jason.l.sikma@vanderbilt.edu orKate Mason at (202)286-9626 or kmason@ufcw.org.

Thank you.

Steven Miles
Strangers No Longer
faithandimmigration@yahoo.com