Postville, IA – Postville was already a small town of 2,300 before the raid. Now city officials say many people are fleeing in fear, not to mention the near 400 plant workers detained.
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More than a third of the workers at the city’s largest business are gone. Without those workers many fear Agriprocessors will shut down. If that happens, the mayor says 95% of the shops here will dry up. Petrona Garcia’s convenience store is the only Hispanic business in town with customers the day after the raid.
“All the shops are closed. Not one is open. No one even comes to them,” said Petrona Garcia, business owner.
Her husband agrees it’s the worst it could be.
“The shops are closed because there are no people in Postville at all,” said Cesar Jochola, Garcia’s husband.
City officials tell me most fled or hid after the raid at Postville’s largest employer. Agriprocessors lost nearly 400 workers. Downtown businesses lost even more customers.
Meanwhile The owners of the Postville meatpacking plant where 390 workers were arrested Monday admitted in court last year that many of the workers in its New York distribution center were in the United States illegally.
That admission is getting new attention in the wake of the raid this week that rounded up 40 percent of the Iowa plant’s 968 workers.
Agriprocessors Inc. made the statement about its New York workers in an effort to block those workers from joining a union.
The company contended that many of the employees at the Brooklyn distribution center had improperly voted in favor of union representation and were not protected by the National Labor Relations Act because they were undocumented immigrants.
The company contended that the votes of those people should be thrown out in part because of the “recent policy changes and debate over the burden of illegal immigration in this country.”
The company also contended that because undocumented immigrants have no legitimate expectation of continued future employment, their interests were different from that of the company’s workers who are in the United States legall.
MAYBE THE KOSHER CONSUMER WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS BECAUSE THE ILLEGL WORKERS PROBEBLY GHARGE ALOT OF MONEY WICH MAKES THE KOSHER MEAT SHOULD COST ABOUT 3 TIMES THE PRICE OF NONKOSHER NOW HE WILL HIRE LEGAL WORKER AND PAY NORMAL WAGES THE PRICE WILL GO DOWN SINCE THE NON KOSHER MEAT INDUSTRY WHO HAVE LEGAL WORKERS, THERE PRICE IS 1/3 OF THE KOSHER MEAT.
CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG.
Agriprocessors safety problems
BY CLARK KAUFFMAN
MAY 14, 2008
Agriprocessors Inc. has a history of noncompliance with state and federal regulations related to food safety, pollution and workplace safety at its Postville facility, government records show. Here are some actions government regulators have taken in the past 2years:
FEBRUARY 2006: U.S. Department of Labor fines the company $2,000 for a serious workplace-safety violation. The fine is later reduced to $1,000. Two weeks later, the plant is fined $2,500 for a serious worker-safety violation involving machinery. That fine is later reduced to $1,250.
MARCH 2006: Agriprocessors is cited for worker-safety violations related to respiratory protection. No fine is imposed.
AUGUST 2006: The company agrees to pay $603,086 to settle a complaint by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Federal prosecutors had accused the owners of discharging pollutants into Postville’s city water treatment system.
SEPTEMBER 2006: The U.S. Department of Agriculture issues a “letter of warning” to the plant, based on failure to meet minimum requirements for sanitary conditions. Rodents had been seen in offices, and other unsanitary conditions were noted outside the plant. The letter noted multiple instances of unsanitary conditions that had gone uncorrected over the previous 90 days.
DECEMBER 2006: USDA inspectors find fecal contamination of chickens being processed. In one case, an inspector has to intervene three times to correct the problem. A day later, an inspector finds that about half the chickens he observes being processed are contaminated with feces and bile. A week later, inspectors note that at least 70 percent of the chickens are contaminated with feces. Two days later, inspectors report finding two pallets of beef that had “a rancid smell and (were) slimy to the touch.” Hydraulic oil is seen dripping from an overhead motor onto raw chickens being processed. A few days later, inspectors see the same problem.
JANUARY 2007: USDA inspectors find “a large amount of fecal and bile contamination” on chickens being processed. Three areas are deemed “out of compliance, with fecal material sprayed everywhere around them.” An inspector halts the meat-processing line and raises the issue with a worker who wanted to restart the line without taking corrective action.
JANUARY 2007: The USDA announces that Agriprocessors is recalling 2,700 pounds of frankfurters because of possible underprocessing.
JULY 2007: The USDA announces that Agriprocessors is recalling 35,860 pounds of frozen beef and chicken products because they may contain egg albumen, a known allergen, which is not declared on the label.
MARCH 2008: The Iowa Division of Labor Services cites Agriprocessors for 39 violations of workplace safety rules and proposes a $182,000 fine. The sanctions are based on inspections that took place in October 2007 and February 2008. Inspectors say the violations relate to hazardous chemicals and inadequate emergency response plans. Federal officials put the case “on hold,” according to Kerry Koonce of Iowa Workforce Development. As of Tuesday, the matter remained unresolved. .
many people did not trust the hashgocha of Rubashkin. This story is terrible and a tremendous chilul hashem.
If Rubashkin would have paid a decent salary plus treated these workers with respect there would be more sympathy but this is a typical frum runned business where the money takes over the brains and nobody cares about workers or anything else.
If rubashkin had brains they would hire FRUM people who need work and money. I doubt Rubashkin will do the right thing.
Rubashkin would rather lose their company and millions of dollars then to give jobs to frum people who need the work and the money.
Sad indeed.
MAYER Says:
MAYBE THE KOSHER CONSUMER WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS BECAUSE THE ILLEGL WORKERS PROBEBLY GHARGE ALOT OF MONEY WICH MAKES THE KOSHER MEAT SHOULD COST ABOUT 3 TIMES THE PRICE OF NONKOSHER NOW HE WILL HIRE LEGAL WORKER AND PAY NORMAL WAGES THE PRICE WILL GO DOWN SINCE THE NON KOSHER MEAT INDUSTRY WHO HAVE LEGAL WORKERS, THERE PRICE IS 1/3 OF THE KOSHER MEAT.
CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG.
05-14-2008 – 10:16 AM
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Correct u if your wrong? I have no idea what you are saying because u arent speaking english or correct grammer or spelling correctly.
Very wrong. It’s exactly the opposite. Legal workers need to be paid more, thus passing on these costs to us, the consumers. Look out for major price increases to add to your existing burden in these troubling economic times. Sheyavo Kvar Mashiach!!
To Clark Kaufman
Have you ever heard of “Loshon Horah??” “Rechilus?
Hope you never will face any prosecutions, or Federal Judges, But be careful of the Judge in Shomaim!
Please count and weigh your statements especially in public.
Why do frum companies have to act like this?
After reading the alledged infractions one has to wonder why so many frum people are getting sick from the foods we eat.
Mayer 10:16
It would be nice for you to use the english language properly, not like some illegal worker, and STOP SHOUTING!
The cheapest labor is illegal workers. They have no rights and cannot demand better pay or working conditions. The same would be said for the workforce in China, much of the workforce there is forced, without or with little pay. Hence the reason things being produced there is so cheap.
When a company hires legal workers, they must pay at least the minimum wage and would be forced to correct any hazardous working conditions. The price of this gets passed along to the consumers.
Regarding Non-Kosher meats, the reason that it is so cheap, is that it’s much harder to have an animal that fits the description of being Kosher than not. Many animals that were thought to be kosher, end up being Treif. Additionaly, there are many processes that Halachah requires that slow the process and is labor intensive. The laws of supply and demand dictate higher prices.
Kosher meat costs more because it is glatt kosher. many of the animals can’t be used and therefore it costs more to ‘manufacture’ If you compare rabashkin to other kosher companies they are the cheapest priced product. It has nothing to do with using illegals. The question people have is how do they do it and still remain ‘kosher’?
regarding the illegals Like it or not they are heere and a contributer to our economy as seen is the story that many stores do not have any customers today. I propese all the illegals in USA to register start paying taxes and eventually allow them to become citizens but on the flipside the borders MUST be sealed and take away the law that says anyone illegal in the country who has children that the children become US citizens. You can not let bus them out and you have to have some type of control on them
To Anonymous 10:27
“Rubashkin would rather lose their company and millions of dollars then to give jobs to frum people who need the work and the money.”
What world are YOU living on? You move to Postville, IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, and work for 8 hours in the heat and the noise and the smells AND THE BLOOD AND FLIES AND STINK.
You wouldn’t do it for $50 an hour, let alone minimum wage!
You’re a big talker sitting in Willy or BP or Flatbush in your SECTION 8 apartment, collecting food stamps and working for cash!
When you applied for your mortgage, did you put down the same salary as you did on your child’s TUITION application?
Which you did you lie on?
NONE OF US ARE CLEAN. do you use a cleaning lady?
did you fill out a W4 for her? did you pay your FICA & FIT, SUI taxes for her? did you file a 1099?
The federal government benefits BILLIONS of dollars from the companieds that employ illegals.
The companies pay all the taxes on the worker, pass along the employee portion to the government, and because they’re illegal, THEY DON’T GET SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS!
If all of these workers were deported, the social security administration, AND ALL THE PENSION FUNDS
WOULD BE BROKE!!
SO, unless you are squeaky clean ( i can guarantee almost all of us, including myself is not) SHUT UP!
Pictures of the Shochtim and Mashgichim back to work:
http://www.col.org.il/show_news.rtx?artID=38074
The Honey moon is over!!!
What is all the commotion about? Rabashkin admitted hiring illegal workers in court in NY! What did you think would happen?
Now I have read some every ignorant posts about how illegal aliens are vital to our economy. To the person who wrote “If all of these workers were deported, the social security administration, AND ALL THE PENSION FUNDS WOULD BE BROKE!!” Social Security is broke, not because of illegals aliens but because Democrats in power do not want to privatize it. The government is borrowing from Social Security for other pork chop projects which is bankrupting the system. This has NOTHING to do with illegal aliens. Our Medicare and other health benefits are being vastly drained by illegals who do NOT pay taxes! You need a social security card to pay taxes and file a W2. Most employers who hire illegals pay cash. It is NOT the responsibility of an employer, either for cleaning lady’s or other work, to collect or file taxes. The individual needs to pay taxes, not the corporation!.
That all said, reality is: If you hire legal workers you do need to meet the minimum federal regulations with pay and health. This increase is salaries and renovations to conform to the standards costs millions which will be passed onto the consumer, you and me.
Back in the Regan years, he granted amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens. The problem is our borders are porous and we need to fix that. Why are you granting amnesty to illegal aliens when there are millions of nationals for all over the world who follow our laws and wait their turn to become a US Citizen. We should not reward criminal activities!
“It is NOT the responsibility of an employer, either for cleaning lady’s or other work, to collect or file taxes. The individual needs to pay taxes, not the corporation!.”
Since when??
Oh, I forgot, you work off the books.
AND YOU’RE CALLING ME IGNORANT??
Since I see you have a computer, google “ZOE BAIRD”and “Kimba Wood”.
Baird and Wood were NOT appointed Attorney General of the USA under Clinton, BECAUSE they both had illegals working for them. BAIRD GO INTO MORE TROUBLE because she did not pay the taxes on her worker.
While illegal aliens do benefit by using hospitals, schools, etc. , the taxes they and their employers pay far exceed what they use.
We are NOT talking about your “street corner illegals”.
There is NO WAY Rubashkin could have 300-400 workers paid off the book and in cash.
Anyone willing to work for minimum wage and do an honest days work, CAN FIND WORK.
Can you honestly expect to be able to pay the dishwasher in your local restaurant $25 an hour??
Are you willing to pay $10 for fries, or $15 for a hamburger??
WHO ARE YOU KIDDING!
you all should mind ur own business. if u dont like his products, dont buy them
mayer, what did i say to offend u?
I hope Rubashkin gets back into business fast otherwise in Florida we are going to be out of kosher food especialy at Wal-Mart and Publix.
To the commenter who mentioned Judge Kimba Wood’s hiring of an illegal immigrant:
At the time Judge Wood hired the person, there was no law prohibiting her to do so. She also paid all required taxes. As far as anyone can tell, Judge Wood did nothing wrong. That then-illegal immigrant is now a United States Citizen. It is very important to get the facts correct lest we slander a distinguished public servant.
Every day we read about more corruption and fraud stories. Yeshiva Lunch $ stolen from the feds, frum health care company stealing $ from medicare, mortgage fraud, this is crazy.
95% that work hard have to suffer for these yechidim that call themselves Rabbi’s.
They are frum jews just like most ppl on this site. Why is there so much gloating going on? Just because someone works hard and becomes matsliach, and then has an unfortunate event happen to the business they have put their sweat and blood into, does not give ppl a right to find every possible angle to critisize them.
Just take a moment and think before you post another baseless acusation of ppl that prior to restarting the plant (back in the 80s) built a mikva and bought a building for a shul…
you show me one meat plant that have yiden do this kind of work you guys dont have a clue what you are talking so dont write stupid comments
For all the tzaddikim here who feel the right to attack Rubashkin because they may have knowling employed illegal aliens, and for the even more reidiculous comments about how this why kosher meat cost so much and only frum jews this, etc. Here right off the Homeland security -ICE website is a story from last year when ICE raided Swift beef and pork and arrested almost 1300 illegal aliens.
It took swift 5 months to recover and rehire. Please feel free to post stupid comments about that is why treif meat is so cheap, only goyim would do a thing like that, and it’s a chillul Yoshka Pundrik.
Spelling corrections on previous post:
Rubashkin, because they may have knowingly employed illegal aliens, and for the even more ridiculous comments…
Sorry for the lack of quality control. Our Spanish proof reader was picked up because she didn’t have papers.
did you fill out a W4 for her? did you pay your FICA & FIT, SUI taxes for her? did you file a 1099?
A cleaning lady is most likely a contractor and therefore responsible for her own taxes. There are tests to determine if someone is a contractor or employee. If they set their working hours and supply their own equipment, they are most likely a contractor.
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