Agriprocessors Runs Help Wanted Ads In Guatemala Newspapers

The May 27, 2008 edition of…

…Prensa Libre has the ad and coverage of the Agriprocessors immigration raid:

Agri Guatemala Ad.pdf

If you can translate the ads and the stories, please do so and post the translations as comments to this post. Thank you.

[Hat Tip: Rebitzman.]

Comments

[rebitzman]

The essentially reads that a "meat manufacturing plant in Postville Iowa is looking for male workers with work permits for the United States who are willing to come and work. it goes on to describe the environment of the beautiful little town that is called Postville. Wages are $8plus/hr."

And it does say "with work permits". It does NOT say "with *wink *wink* work permits".

[Yochanan Lavie]

Guetamala is so poor that illegal Guetamalans sneak into Mexico to better their station. (Even if they don't move on to the US, Mexico is an improvement. The Mexican gov't is harsh on those they catch). I feel bad for them, but the US must protect its borders. If Rubashkin is recruiting legal workers, that is a step in the right direction.

[Isa]

If you have a legal work permit, one can work in Houston and get $10.00/hour and get along just fine without needing to know English.

I go into refineries here in Houston on a regular basis. The security at one refinery that issues internal work badges spots fake IDs all the time.This refinery hires temp contract workers all the time, the starting wage is $11.00/hour

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

The 5th paragraph of the lede:

"Curiously, the ads contain no type of identification. The only thing that gives a clue about the author is a cell phone number that appears at the end of the ad to call to set up an appointment."

[Stephen Mendelsohn]

BS"D

Why only "personal masculino[s]"? Isn't that blatant sex discrimination? Or maybe after all that sexual molestation at Agri, the Rubashkins have decided that having an all-male workforce would ensure they are never faced with this particular allegation in the future?

Does US law allow companies to publish such discriminatory advertising abroad, or is it a violation of civil rights laws forbidding gender discrimination? Is this perhaps one more example among many of Rubashkins' contempt for dina d'malchuta dina?

[Stephen Mendelsohn]

BS"D

From the AgriProcessors website:

http://www.agriprocessor.com/agriprocessors_opportunities/Workforce_Recruitment_and_Composition.php

Agriprocessors is an equal opportunity employer. Roughly half of its employees were born in Central America, Europe and Israel and many are in management positions.
_____________________________________________

The ad in Prensa Libre shows they are lying again. No nashim need apply! Apparently "equal opportunity" means equal opportunity to get one's hand sawed off or get campylobacter without adequate workers' compensation.

[C-Chica]

Meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa needs men with permits to work on the US. The company is in a technologically developed town with a friendly ambiance, nice parks, public schools and family recreation areas. They offer complete medical and dental coverage for the worker’s family and inexpensive housing. Starting salary is $8.50 per hour with opportunities for advancement.

[Isa]

If they had a legal work permit, they would NOT be in Guatemala-They would already be in the USA. Getting a visitors permit, one has to show they have a job in Guatemala, assets like bank account, car, house etc.

[state of the Jews]

The only meat packing plant in Postville is Agriprocessors!
Evidently Agriprocessors likes Guatemalans. They work hard, are easily cowed (pun intended), put up with shorted pay checks, don't complain about injuries and make good serfs.
But we can all rest assured because the OU which claims to guarantee the highest standards of kashrut is on guard. With a wonderful ethical, moral organization safeguarding our supply of kosher meat what could go wrong?

[Larry]

Nobody is forcing anyone to work there. If they are hiring @ $8.50/hr and people are willing to work for $8.50/hr where is the "avala?" I really don't know what your point is.

[C-Chica]

I'd like to quickly note that my translation of the part of the ad specifying a work permit might be slightly flawed. The term "que cuente" can be interpreted as "something that counts as", in regard to the work permit. Since the ad was probably placed by an agent in Guatemala, it might be that they wouldn't check into the matter exhaustively. If it looks, smells and quacks like a work permit... The only way to tell what's really up with this ad would be to go ahead and call.

[Yochanan Lavie]

SOJ Writes: Evidently Agriprocessors likes Guatemalans. They work hard, are easily cowed (pun intended), put up with shorted pay checks, don't complain about injuries and make good serfs.

Serfin' Safari (with apologies to the Beach Boys):

Let's go serfin' now
ICE has taken our Mexicans now
Come on and safari with me
(Come on and safari with...)

Early in the morning we'll be placin' the ads
Some money will be coming along
We're loading up our schachthouse
With our throat hooks inside
And headin' out doin' some wrong

Come on (serfin') boychick wait and see (serfin' safari)
Yes I'm gonna (serfin') take you serfin' (serfin' safari)with me
Come along (serfin') bubbuleh wait and see (serfin' safari)
Yes I'm gonna (serfin') take you serfin' (serfin' safari)with me

Let's go serfin' now
Maybe let 'em schect a cow
Come on and safari with me
(Come on and safari with...)

At Postville and Nebraska
The labor's unfair
The RCA is holding its nose
Ashkenazi or Sephardi, the halachot are clear
But if the meat is cheap, nobody will know

Come on (serfin')lawyers wait and see (serfin' safari)
Yes I'm gonna (serfin') take you serfin' (serfin' safari)with me
Come along (serfin') wetbacks wait and see (serfin' safari)
Yes I'm gonna (serfin') take you serfin' (serfin' safari)with me

Let's go serfin' now
PETA's gonna have a cow
Come on and safari with me
(Come on and safari with...)

They're schacklin' and hoistin' the vilde chayas
They're kicking out as they are killed
I tell you serfing's mighty wild
There are more injuries every day
From Guatemala to the shores of Postville

(repeat refrain).

[Jorzak]

They are trying to get a as many employees as they can.North America needs Rubashkins.
Just remember that there is 3 sides to every story and the newspapers always get stories that are the juiciest.
I hope they get back up and running as soon as possible.

[Ted]

I am outraged! This is why the US is in such a dump. We have slave companies that encourage illegal immigrants to cross very very dangerous boaders to get into the US and be kept as slaves. While Mexico kills and jails Central Americans-the Mexican government (which is corrupt and drug infested) sends its lasrge under class population of Mexicans into the US and the US populations gets more and more displaced. McCaine or Obama should force the Federal Government to jail CEO's that break the immigration laws on the books.

[David Sternlight]

Although I am not one who sees an anti-semite under every bed, the "guilty until proven innocent" attitude of many of the comments here makes one wonder

[devorah]

anyone who responds to this ad does so VOLUNTARILY.

EVERY Frum Yeshiva officially subscribes to "equal oppertunity etc." and only accepts students of one specific gender.

THe fact is that males are stronger than females and working in a meat plant requires difficult labor.

Agri employs BOTH males and females. They probably only need males right now.

Why don't you look at another jew with apositive eye. wouldn't you want hashem to look at you in a good light?

[Kaitlynn Silva]

Trying to find my father. His name is Mario Ronald Silva. He got deported back to Guatemala in 2002. He left a wife named Leslie Silva and their three girls (Dominique,Kaitlynn, and Karen) beyond. He doesn't know the smallest one. Now there looking for their father, they haven't seen for 12 years now. We live in the united states. If you have any information,please contact me through email. Its flaca.lowksz15@gmail.com