Let's Boycott Tyson Foods

[RugerNiner]

Tyson drops union workers' Labor Day for Muslim holiday at M. Tennessee plant Save Email Print


Posted: 12:53 PM Aug 4, 2008
Last Updated: 5:59 PM Aug 4, 2008

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/AP) -- 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 5-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 say 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.

A Tyson spokesperson says the holiday switch only applies to those employees who are union members working under the newly negotiated union contract.

Monday, Tyson Foods released the following statement:

"Contrary to recent reports, Labor Day is still a holiday at Tyson Foods. This issue concerns only the plant at Shelbyville, TN. The majority of employees at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville, TN, are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union (RWDSU), an American union that asked for and received Eid al-Fitr, as one of their eight paid holidays, in place of Labor Day. This applies only to the Shelbyville plant and resulted as part of the union contract negotiated last fall. This change does not apply to Tyson's other 118 plants. This is not a religious accommodation rather, it is part of a union-initiated contract demand.

"This change came about as a result of union demands brought to the negotiating table, and was agreed upon by Tyson in an effort to reach a contractual agreement with the union. The contract that calls for this change was unanimously recommended by the 12-person union bargaining committee, which included three Somali employees. The contract was then overwhelmingly agreed to by 80-percent of the rank and file membership of the union at the Shelbyville plant.

"The Muslim population at the Shelbyville plant is primarily composed of approximately 250 Somali employees, who are political refugees, most of whom came to the plant as a result of refugee resettlement efforts based in Nashville. They were employed at the plant through the Tennessee Department of Employment Security office.

"The Shelbyville complex employs approximately 1,200 people. Approximately 1,000 workers are covered by the union agreement at Shelbyville."

On the VolunteerTV.com News Blog you'll find links to the blogs that are talking about this story, and you can post your own thoughts and comments there as well.

http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/26246549.html

[Dredly]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397645,00.html

Intresting, wonder if this is going to start a trend?

[RugerNiner]

I posted this in the NEWS section early this morning, but because it has to be approved it is no longer cutting edge news.
_________________________________________

Tyson drops union workers' Labor Day for Muslim holiday at M. Tennessee plant Save Email Print


Posted: 12:53 PM Aug 4, 2008
Last Updated: 5:59 PM Aug 4, 2008

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/AP) -- 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 5-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 say 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.

A Tyson spokesperson says the holiday switch only applies to those employees who are union members working under the newly negotiated union contract.

Monday, Tyson Foods released the following statement:

"Contrary to recent reports, Labor Day is still a holiday at Tyson Foods. This issue concerns only the plant at Shelbyville, TN. The majority of employees at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville, TN, are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union (RWDSU), an American union that asked for and received Eid al-Fitr, as one of their eight paid holidays, in place of Labor Day. This applies only to the Shelbyville plant and resulted as part of the union contract negotiated last fall. This change does not apply to Tyson's other 118 plants. This is not a religious accommodation rather, it is part of a union-initiated contract demand.

"This change came about as a result of union demands brought to the negotiating table, and was agreed upon by Tyson in an effort to reach a contractual agreement with the union. The contract that calls for this change was unanimously recommended by the 12-person union bargaining committee, which included three Somali employees. The contract was then overwhelmingly agreed to by 80-percent of the rank and file membership of the union at the Shelbyville plant.

"The Muslim population at the Shelbyville plant is primarily composed of approximately 250 Somali employees, who are political refugees, most of whom came to the plant as a result of refugee resettlement efforts based in Nashville. They were employed at the plant through the Tennessee Department of Employment Security office.

"The Shelbyville complex employs approximately 1,200 people. Approximately 1,000 workers are covered by the union agreement at Shelbyville."

On the VolunteerTV.com News Blog you'll find links to the blogs that are talking about this story, and you can post your own thoughts and comments there as well.

[Ten*K]

soon, they will demand prayer time, and then the beheadings will start.

[RugerNiner]

soon, they will demand prayer time, and then the beheadings will start.

I'm willing to bet they already get prayer time and foot baths.

[ChamberedRound]

I posted this in the NEWS section early this morning, but because it has to be approved it is no longer cutting edge news.

Not exactly sure what the above means, but my apologies if your News thread didn't get approved as fast as you would've liked.

My opinion on this topic:

I personally think it's DISGRACEFUL that a Muslim holiday was substituted for Labor Day. However:

It wasn't a corporate decision on the part of Tyson. It was a request, made during negotiations, by the union which represents the workers who wanted it. Of the 1200 union employees at the plant, 700 of them are Muslim, and the last time I checked unions work on majority vote of their members. If the union hadn't asked the management for what a majority of their members wanted, those members would've claimed that their union was taking their dues and not properly representing them at the bargaining table.

Now, the contradiction I can't understand is why they would substitute this holiday in lieu of LABOR DAY, a holiday which was created BY THE UNIONS in honor of their workers and as a symbol of their cause. If the union workers are predominantly Muslim, they should have substituted Christmas or some other Christian holiday on the calendar that they likely don't care about. Labor Day is an AMERICAN holiday, one that ALL AMERICANS should be celebrating, just like Thanksgiving, President's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. Attempts by anyone to prevent any of us from celebrating such days works against the uniquely American "melting pot" idea of respecting each other regardless of culture or faith, and celebrating our common American heritage.

[lildobe]

And what, pray tell, is wrong with honoring a majority of workers religion in a country where we have... "freedom of Religion" ?

Union leaders say 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.

So more then half of them are Muslim.

"Contrary to recent reports, Labor Day is still a holiday at Tyson Foods. This issue concerns only the plant at Shelbyville, TN. The majority of employees at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville, TN, are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union (RWDSU), an American union that asked for and received Eid al-Fitr, as one of their eight paid holidays, in place of Labor Day. This applies only to the Shelbyville plant and resulted as part of the union contract negotiated last fall. This change does not apply to Tyson's other 118 plants.

So it looks like the Union asked for this, and in negotiations, received it.

"The Muslim population at the Shelbyville plant is primarily composed of approximately 250 Somali employees, who are political refugees, most of whom came to the plant as a result of refugee resettlement efforts based in Nashville. They were employed at the plant through the Tennessee Department of Employment Security office.

So they are refugees, who have been brought into this country by our government, and now you are condemning the company that has actually EMPLOYED them for giving concessions so that they may continue to practice their religion?

I'd think that the freedoms we have in our country would mean just a little bit more to you people.

[mjfletcher]

700 Muslims out of 1200 employees, the union requested the change, the unions job is to represent the employees, I don't see a problem here. More than half the employees are muslim, so what's the issue with a muslim holiday being a paid holiday? I'll bet Christmas is a paid holiday and I don't see anyone saying "lets boycott" over that religious holiday being paid.

The union represents the employees, Christian employees get a paid day off on a religious holiday so why shouldn't Muslim employees? Honestly I'd like to see all companies either eliminate religious holidays as paid days off, or trade non-religious paid days off for religious ones. Christams, Eid al-Fitr, Last day of Chaunnaka. Either give all the major religions a paid day off on one of their holidays, or give no paid day off on religious holidays.

[normanvin]

I don't eat tyson stuff already. I do not eat much chicken.

[ThoughtCriminal]

This was a "democratic" decision? What's the problem?