ICE agents arrested 21 Smithfield workers company announcement that it will fire up to 600 people

[Omaha Steve]

On Wednesday, January 24, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 21 Smithfield workers from the Tar Heel, NC plant.

The arrests have spread fear and confusion throughout the workforce and larger community. This development is another attempt by Smithfield to terrorize workers into silence. Because of Smithfield’s actions, families are being torn apart; children coming home from school do not know where their parents are and workers fear going to work. Today Smithfield’s production was cut in half as employees did not report to work, fearing they would be next.

Yesterday’s arrests come on the heels of the company announcement that it will fire up to 600 people in the coming weeks, primarily those who walked out in protest last November over the firings of fellow employees for alleged problems with social security mismatches.

Despite tremendous odds, Smithfield workers have been courageously struggling for a voice on the job for over a decade. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) is supporting the establishment of a humanitarian fund to assist workers and their families who are unfairly terminated.

The arrests may very well be in violation of ICE’s own guidelines which prohibit ICE from facilitating the use of immigration laws of enforcement to intervene in a labor dispute.

As the crisis for Smithfield workers intensifies, we must mobilize a strong, national network of supporters to stand with workers to demand an end to the abuse. You can help Smithfield workers by recruiting 10 of your friends to join our base of supporters.

For more information on the arrests and the November walkout, please check out:
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To follow the plight of the workers and get up to date information on developments in the struggle for justice at Smithfield, go to:
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[sweetheart]

1. Pigs for profit not anymore

Based in Smithfield, Virginia, Smithfield Foods is the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer, with revenues exceeding $11 billion in fiscal 2006. The company raises 14 million hogs domestically each year for a 13 percent U.S. market share, and annually processes 27 million hogs, representing 26 percent of the U.S. market. With a large collection of well-known brands, approximately half the company's pork revenues come from value-added, further processed products.

Smithfield is also the fifth-largest U.S. beef processor and a 50 percent partner to the largest cattle feeder in the United states. The company processes approximately two million cattle annually, which represents a six percent share of the U.S. market.

Outside the United States, Smithfield owns subsidiaries in France, Poland, Romania and the United Kingdom, and has joint ventures or major investments in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and China. We employ more than 52,000 people worldwide.

http://www.smithfieldfoods.com/Understand/Industry/

http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/