More New Agriprocessors' Workers Complain Of Abuse – Plant Production Still Far Behind

Worse yet for Agriprocessors, the reporter is Chabad's friend…

…Sue Fishkoff, writing for the JTA:

…Agriprocessors is pouring money into new equipment, including an automatically timed salting and soaking process that went online a couple of months ago. New workers say they are receiving their overtime pay, in contrast to workers before the raid who say their pay stubs were doctored.

Some new workers, however, tell reporters their paychecks show unexpected deductions; several of those workers have since quit.…

A Chicago man, who answered an online ad placed by a temp agency in Indianapolis, signed up for a 60-hour workweek and is looking forward to the overtime.

“I just had my interview, and I told them I’ll chase ‘em, I’ll cut ‘em up, whatever they want,” he said.

Like some other new workers this man, who declined to give his name after Jacobson representatives told employees not to speak to the media, said the temp agency made certain promises that have not panned out.

“They told me I’d pay $100 the first week for housing, and $60 a week after that, but the company told me today I have to pay $100 every week,” he said.

His pay is deposited directly into a bank account, and he is charged $5 for each withdrawal, according to a withdrawal slip he presented for inspection. He says he was told he must withdraw that $100 every week and pay it back to his temp agency in cash.

[Aaron] Rubashkin dismissed the man’s complaint, suggesting that he “is free to take a bus home, no one is forcing him.”…

And there's more:

…Many of the arrested workers, who never met a Jew before coming to Postville, blame all Jews for what has happened to them.

“They abused me, I didn’t like them,” said one Mexican woman, a former worker at the plant who was arrested in the raid and now wears a GPS monitoring bracelet on her right ankle, unable to work or leave town as she awaits her Oct. 14 court date.

But she and others interviewed were happy to see more than 400 Jews come to town from Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul for a July 27 interfaith service, march and rally on their behalf. She listened to the pledges of support rabbis and leaders of the sponsoring Jewish groups made that day, and she takes their words seriously.

“I believe they will help us,” she said.

Fishkoff got a tour of Agriprocessors – something most reporters can't get. She got it presumably because she is considered a friend of Chabad.

Indeed, her entire feature article does not mention Chabad or Lubavitch, even though the Rubashkins are Chabad hasidim and many of the rabbis working at Agriprocessors are, as well.

But Fishkoff got the tour and this is what she saw:

…The tour revealed many empty workstations inside the plant, and more than a few beards and side curls on the assembly line, belonging to rabbis pressed into emergency service.

“To the media, this looks like a for-profit company on one side, and on the other side, individuals who are hurting and suffering,” said Abrahams, as he conducted a two-hour tour of the plant for a reporter. “But the company is also hurting and suffering. We are not able to keep up production levels and reach out to our customers.”…

Comments

[bernice]

Ms. Fishkoff assured someone in the OU that she will not write negative about Agri.

[Archie Bunker]

said Abrahams, “But the company is also hurting and suffering. We are not able to keep up production levels and reach out to our customers.”…

The heart bleeds borscht for these jokesters. They belong on Broadway, not in the food industry.

[hancock park]

These Rubashkins have a disgraceful attitude.It's "if you don't like us cheating you, quit!" If they treated the workers properly, maybe they would stay and they could raise production levels up.

[Sue Fishkoff]

Whom did I assure at the OU that I "will not write negative about Agri?" What an absurd comment. I am very disturbed by what I heard from former Agri workers while I was in Postville--read my stories, for heavens' sake. It's not a matter of being negative or positive, it's just reporting. And as far as getting tours of the plant, waiting in line after me last week was the guy from the Des Moines Register. I think all you need to do is call and request a visit.

[Shmarya]

Not really true. At least for most of this scandal, the plant was closed to the press.

[yidandahalf]

These people in a generation gone by were the Jewish Ghetto Police. We know what happened to them side by side with their victims. In their new incarnation they are teaching the world how to better hate Jews. The question is what will become of them in today's world? Will they keep raking in the kesef and BT's? Or have they already reached their zenith?

[yidandahalf]

Miss Fishkoff, All we need to do is call and request a visit? I will do that next time I tell the IRS I can't pay my taxes this year, guys. Catch y'all next time I promise.
Will they even allow the infamous posters and commentors of FM to visit? After I get hold of a HazMat suit, Taser, and some good drugs that haven't been invented yet, I'm on my way. Jesus Christ.

[bernice]

Getzel; I hear that a number of AGRI customers claim that AGRI commonly (almost always) will use the gross weight as the net, (oh, it's only 3 lbs +-) with price Agri charges they shouldn't complain about these minor items-including 7,500 treif chickens sold as KAJ OU kosher. The other 1500 are only a sofek if it was on the truck.

Getzel get this straight, you guys are operating a non-kosher facility, switching labels, short weight, kosher changed to Bet-Yosef etc.

You should thank the Governmental agencies for preventing klal-yisroel from consuming treif & becoming mitumtum R"L.

BTW no response required-You're damned either way.

[bernice]

The march proceeded in a six-block loop, with a stop for speeches in front of the Agriprocessors site. I noticed a man dressed in Hasidic garb standing at the periphery. A reporter walked up to him, and soon a few more reporters were also interviewing him. I joined them, and learned that the Hasid with the wiry black beard was Getzel Rubashkin, a young member of the family that owned the plant. Though Getzel emphasized that he wasn’t an official spokesperson, he spoke in the plural: “The people that are here about immigration reform and workers rights, there’s no argument. They want to eat kosher. We want to eat kosher. “We don’t have a dog in any fight. We’re just here to do business.” While he spoke, a couple of other Hasidim leaned in to the reporters, gawking at Getzel. Getzel said he sympathized with the protestors’ demands for immigrant justice, but denied that there were worker abuses at the plant. “People are accepting allegations as company policy,” he said.

His comments did seem calibrated, despite his caveats. The protestors were a threat to the business, after all. The kosher food market is not huge and not likely to grow any time soon. Bad press or – God forbid – a rabbinic injunction of some kind could do a lot of damage.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Bernice: The kosher market might indeed grow, ironically, due to the growing Muslim population in the USA. Most Muslims will eat kosher when they can't get hallal. Dedicated hallal abatoirs have been set up, but not on the scale of the kosher ones already operating.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

bernice: starting the thread and stating as fact what turns out to be untrue is not a good way to start. I believe a small recognition that you smeared someone is in order. As a Talmidah Chachamah you would know that such behavior is expected, and such smearing is not Halachically justified.

Your next allegation of unnamed customers that "you hear" have certain complaints does not require a response, as you said.

Finally, when you claim 9000 birds fell off a truck and then learn it is an impossibility, modifying your numbers doesn't inspire much confidence in your accuracy and honesty, already damaged goods as it were.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

The worker interviewed obviously had a poor understanding of the arrangements. As I mentioned on another thread the workers for OneForce are free to move out of the $100 a week houses, and some have already done so. I also understand that the withdrawal fee is for the debit card. I will look into it, but there is no reason why he cannot get his money from the bank without a fee.

[steve]

Getzel,

The chickens falling off the truck and being labeled as "kosher" did happen. Several people have corroborated the story that Rabbi Belsky was appalled at what happened and that he discussed it at his shiur. Nobody is that creative to make up such a story.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

Steve, my point was not that it didn't happen. How could I know that unless I looked into it, which I did not?

I am simply pointing out that, as with so many of the comments on this blog and elsewhere, you do not have the facts. You are very self-righteous about the issues you bring up, but don't seem to recognize the simple ethical requirement to actually do your homework and ascertain the facts on the ground.

[steve]

Getzel,

You agree that the number of chickens is immaterial. The fact is that it happened. I wasn't the one who brought it up here (I believe it was Archie), but I did hear and read several accounts about Rabbi Belsky's shiur. Again, denial and PR is not the avenue you should be pursuing. Taking responsibilty for the past and putting corrective measures in place is the way to go.

[steve]

Most Muslims will eat kosher when they can't get hallal

Rubashkin meat would be perfect for the hallal customer. Weissmandl should make a trip to the Muslim neighborhoods in Dearborn, MI, and Paterson, NJ. He can land some lucrative accounts there.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

Read what I wrote and respond to that, not what you wanted me to have written. This story as recounted has a serious flaw in it. That indicates to me that the person who told is not in possession of the facts.

This has been my main point in the week or so I have been posting here. Get the facts. After that, we will talk, if you still have an issue.

How can you expect to be taken seriously when you have not even taken the time to look into the stories you are building your self-righteous attacks on?

[Archie Bunker]

"That indicates to me that the person who told is not in possession of the facts."

As much as the OU covers up for Rubashkin outrages, Belsky was furious that Weissmandel himself dumped the sofek treif birds on them without letting on what happened.

If even Belsky says something is problematic, it's like an anan sahadee that you can't eat the chickens.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

Please do not attempt to change the subject. This habit of passing the buck is not cool. What are the details of the story? That someone was upset, we heard. Other than that I have only heard about 9000 bird trucks which makes me kind of suspicious of the accuracy of the whole story. Given the track record of people around here I am sure you understand. Standing by for factual information.

[sage]

I believe that Getzel needs to begin spending more time ruminating about his plans for the post-Rubashkin Postville.

The Iowa State criminal charges re: Illegal Child Labor are just the beginning. Iowa State criminal charges re: wage violations are likely to follow.

Then will come a host of Federal Criminal Charges.

Most likely, Agri will have to be sold to an owner who may use the State-Of-The-Art Hebrew National facility as a model to be emulated.

[Getzel Rubashkin]

Repetition.

[yidandahalf]

YL @10:36 - I have always thought McHechser would give every ounce of energy to expand the kosher market but I predicted it towards the goyishe side. In any case, the Jewish market is far too small to provide them with what they want.
Hey thanks for the other link btw.

[sage]

From the 8-7-08 Edition of the Cedar Rapid Gazette on line Edition

THE GAZETTE’S EDITORIAL

Even more troubling charges

Charges that Agriprocessors violated child labor laws on a large scale may be the most damning indictment yet of the Postville meatpacking operation.

The Iowa Labor Commission announced Tuesday that its lengthy investigation has uncovered 57 cases with multiple violations of child labor laws. Allegations include minors working illegally in the plant, exposure to dangerous chemicals and working with prohibited tools.

The troubled company is still under federal investigation for possible violations of immigration related labor laws.

Agriprocessors has been under a national microscope since agents conducted the largest-ever, single-site immigration raid May 12. Most of the 389 workers arrested for using false identities are serving jail time before facing deportation. Six of those arrested were released because they were juveniles.

Advocates for the illegal workers say the company exploited them and even arranged for phony identity documents. Two supervisors have been accused of aiding and abetting illegal workers. So far, management has not been charged. All of which is very troubling and begs for some reform of U.S. immigration law that doesn’t seem to hold employers accountable for hiring illegal workers. Even more reprehensible, if true, are Agriprocessors’ alleged violations against minors.

Child labor is defined, in general, as work that harms or exploits children in some way or blocks their access to education. That doesn’t mean all work is bad for children.

Certainly, kids can learn good skills and responsibility and contribute to a family’s financial well-being with appropriate and limited job duties.

But there are compelling reasons for governments to enforce child labor laws. Abuse was rampant early in the industrial age. Even today, millions of children around the world are forced into jobs that are dangerous, with long hours, poor pay — conditions that most adults would shun unless desperate.

Because of federal and state laws, most Iowans may assume that exploitation of children is rare in our state. Indeed, when found, it usually involves lesser violations and one or two individuals.

But state officials said at least 57 juveniles ranging from age 14 to 17 years old worked illegally at the Postville plant. This is the same place where dozens of broken bones and hundreds of other injuries were reported between 2001 and 2006.

State officials fined the company earlier this year for multiple safety violations.

Iowa law is clear: No person under age 18 may work in a meatpacking plant. Other prohibited workplaces for minors include most manufacturing and mining sites.

Agriprocessors says its policy is not to hire underage workers and to terminate any employees found to be under 18. How well that policy has been enforced is clearly in doubt.

[Archie Bunker]

Sue Fishkoff,

Rabbi Shain wrote on his blog that he has information that you have a deal to not divulge all the facts you know. He refuses to reveal his source.

[yidandahalf]

bernice @8:51 6 August re Agri's using gross weight. Weren't the Rubbishclan responsible for getting Trader Joe's to quit Empire because of short weights? Thereby replacing Empire chicken with Agri. I think Yudel covered this story.