Rubashkin Knew Children Worked At Agriprocessors

A former Agriprocessors supervisor said under oath that he told managers and executive Sholom Rubashkin that there were minors working at the company Postville meatpacking plant.

Worker: Rubashkin knew children worked at Agriprocessors
By JEFF REINITZ • Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

WATERLOO --- A former Agriprocessors supervisor said he told managers and executive Sholom Rubashkin that there were minors working at the company Postville meatpacking plant.

Matthew Derrick, 41, who worked for years in other slaughterhouses before coming to Agriprocessors in August 2006, was the state's first witness as Rubashkin's child labor trial resumed this morning (Tuesday).

"I had more children working on the cut up floor than I had adults," Derrick told jurors.

Rubashkin is charged with 83 counts of child labor violations in state court. Prosecutors alleged teens worked with dangerous chemicals and power-driven equipment between 2007 and a May 2008 immigration raid.

Derrick talked about meeting a 12-year-old boy on the Agriprocessors floor. He said it broke his heart. He wanted to take the child into his home and help him get citizenship and go to college.

"He was very bright," Derrick said.

Derrick testified that he told plant managers Gary Norris and Brent Beebe about the minors and was told to mind his own business.

Derrick said he also brought up the matter with Rubashkin once during a meeting after he approached the executive about a boot that had been placed on his vehicle in the company parking lot.

After talking about the vehicle, according to Derrick's account, Derrick told Rubashkin that everyone in his area was exhausted from working long hours and that there were children in the plant.

Derrick said he told Rubashkin some of the employees were "too young to be doing the job."

"He didn't seem to want to solve the problem," Derrick said. He said the conversation occurred in Rubashkin's office, and no one else was involved.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Mark Weinhardt, Derrick said he didn't tell U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors at the plant about the minors. Nor did he tell any government investigators about it until months after the May 2008 immigration raid.

He also said he didn't disclose his conversation with Rubashkin during initial interviews with investigators.

Defense attorney Montgomery Brown asked the court to declare a mistrial after Derrick mentioned that he and his family had been the subject of threats. He also asked for a mistrial because Derrick talked about an email that was allegedly distributed to him, Beebe and Rubashkin.

The e-mail, which the defense said had never been verified, allegedly came from the human resources department and asked Derrick to take workers to a Postville restaurant to get fake work documents.

Judge Nathan Callahan declined to declare a mistrial and asked jurors to disregard Derrick's statements about the threats.

Other witnesses this morning included:

Alvero David Ajin Garcia, who had worked at the plant before he turned 18,
Luther "Don" Peddy, an official with Iowa OSHA, who talked about the dangers of chemicals at the plant.

Comments

[nachos]

Shmarya:

You are way off base here. Look at the guys name. His name is Matthew Derrick. Thus, he is obviously a gentile. Don't you know that you can't take the word of a gentile!!!

[Dr Moe]

This guy claims he got death threats, who sent him the death threats, was it an under age worker who did not want get fired?! there was a spanish speaking death threat on the phone!

[Bill]

If Rubashkin is convicted on the state child labor charges, the haredim are gonna write him off faster than a $350 stake dinner at Prime Grill.

Just watch them.

[Bill]

"Derrick ... is obviously a gentile." - Nachos

nachos,

he's a Jew, albeit one who went off it!

[fakewood]

what is the prosecution offering matthew derrick. how did they buy his testimony. the american judicial system has gone to hell and we are all helping. the constituion does not allow for bribery of witnesses. how was matheww derick BRIBED.
wake up barking scotty.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Bill, excellent play on the word!

But really, how can any of this be true? Earlier today, AE Anderson wrote a fine essay about what a wonderful man's man Sholom Mordecai Rubashkin is. How do I reconcile this testimony from Derrick with Anderson's statement?

Now I am thoroughly confused.

[FirstGenerationBavarianAmerican]

"how was matheww derick BRIBED."

All they had to do was subpoena him.

[Cheskel]

"Derrick talked about meeting a 12-year-old boy on the Agriprocessors floor"

I got a bridge to sell.

[steve]

Not one post on Matzav/Al Jazeera about this trial. Hmmm.. Pinny Yated is still busy working on his spin. Who needs Lubinsky anyway?

[Bill]

Thanks, Wool!

[WoolSilkCotton]

Cheskel, if you have evidence that Derrick is lying, why don't you contact the judge?

[fakewood]

well if he admits he knew there were children working and didnt report it to the authorities by his own admission he is guilty of a crime. how come he is not being prosectuted.

i will tell you why. because the DA is bribing him with no prosecution for his cooperation.

[Bill]

"fakewood"

... is an understatment. you are the real deal!

[yidandahalf]

Off topic, but is Sham Wow allowed to smoke his Marlboros in the slammer? He has the fat and looks of a serious fresser on his way to a serious heart condition. He looks damned bad. He really ought to take it easy and stop worrying. He will be well taken care of.

[AGRI-vated Angel]

nachos,

Did you post - [Posted by: nachos | May 11, 2010 at 01:10 PM]?

[WoolSilkCotton]

SMR claimed, as part of the religious hardships he faces while in prison, that hassidic jews cannot watch TV or exercise.

[nachos]

nachos,

Did you post - [Posted by: nachos | May 11, 2010 at 01:10 PM]?

Posted by: AGRI-vated Angel | May 11, 2010 at 04:04 PM

Yes. I was trying to be sarcastic...lol

[Cheskel]

WSC,
"Cheskel, if you have evidence that Derrick is lying, why don't you contact the judge?"

No evidence, just an opinion.
Same as most Rubashkin haters had an opinion on him before he was found guilty.

[AGRI-vated Angel]

nachos.

I needed to ask. There is a sockpuppet adrift on this site.

:)

[nachos]

Same as most Rubashkin haters had an opinion on him before he was found guilty.

Posted by: Cheskel | May 11, 2010 at 04:11 PM

Cheskel:

You probably don't believe me, but I am not a Rubashkin hater. I want nothing more for him to repent and this whole thing to be over.

The problem is, Rabbis and his supporters refuse to tell him what he needs to hear, so that G-d can restore him. Ultimately, G-d is the one that is allowing and guiding this whole process.

[yidandahalf]

WSC, does this mean that haredim are forbidden to exercise? This Rubash-n is a scabrous individual if ever there was one.

[yidandahalf]

nachos, do you believe any Rubash-in is capable of repentence? What sort of half-assed repentence do you think a Rubash-in would come up with? Would it involve restitution or at the least begging forgiveness from even one victim?

[effie]

"This guy claims he got death threats, who sent him the death threats, was it an under age worker who did not want get fired?! there was a spanish speaking death threat on the phone! Posted by: Dr Moe"

How could he answer? Rubashkin's defense team objected and prevented him from saying any more about it.

[Cheskel]

"you probably don't believe me, but I am not a Rubashkin hater. I want nothing more for him to repent and this whole thing to be over"

From your posts its seems like you have nothing more then admiration for Rubashkin. Why would you even think that i wont believe you

[reality]

Another worker (Derrick) who was worthless. He missed more work than the children. Another guy looking for a free ride!!! He didn't last long either, couldn't handle the pressure.

[Cheskel]

Update,

My sources are telling me that:

One of the managers said in court that he knew about underage workers and he told the higher ups but couldn't provide evidence that he told Rubashkin.

Also, a former worker testified that he was given a lengthy visa in exchange of testifying against Rubashkin

[libby in the hood]

WoolySilk: I don't watch very much television or I don't exercise. Does that mean that I'm in jail? I also don't look good in orange.

[AGRI-vated Angel]

[Also, a former worker testified that he was given a lengthy visa in exchange of testifying against Rubashkin.]

Cheskel-

The visa was given as a means of securing testimony/evidence. NO visas have been given as gifts. I'm beginning to think you ought to forget about selling your bridge; and instead, you might consider taking a flying leap from it. (The landing might knock some sense into you.)

[Concerned for the Postville Area...]

ha ha ha, AGRI-vated Angel, that was one of your better replys. LOL
thanks

[nachos]

WoolySilk: I don't watch very much television or I don't exercise. Does that mean that I'm in jail? I also don't look good in orange.

Posted by: libby in the hood | May 11, 2010 at 05:40 PM

Libby if you don't look good in orange, then you will make a lousy deer hunter!!!

[sage]

+++ (The landing might knock some sense into you.)

Posted by: AGRI-vated Angel | May 11, 2010 at 05:40 PM +++

Hi AA,

I think he's too far gone for even this to help.

[nachos]

nachos, do you believe any Rubash-in is capable of repentence? What sort of half-assed repentence do you think a Rubash-in would come up with? Would it involve restitution or at the least begging forgiveness from even one victim?

Posted by: yidandahalf | May 11, 2010 at 04:54 PM

Yidandahalf: This maybe one of the few times we disagree, but I sincerely beleive that everyone is capabable of genuine repentance. Even Rubaskin is capable of repentance and G-d does forgive. I know this, because I have done things in my life that I fell have angered Hashem and when I repented, G-d has always restored me to a better place than I was before I sinned.

Restitution is definitely a part of repentance. Remember, there is no secrets from Hashem. He knows what really happened and parsing words with G-d is about as useful as hitting your head against a cactus!! Peace!!!

[nachos]

"you probably don't believe me, but I am not a Rubashkin hater. I want nothing more for him to repent and this whole thing to be over"

From your posts its seems like you have nothing more then admiration for Rubashkin. Why would you even think that i wont believe you

Posted by: Cheskel | May 11, 2010 at 05:07 PM
Cheskel: Are you being a bit sarcastic with me? lol

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to the Stones:

It is the trial day for the jerk,
I sit and watch the children work.
Crying faces I can see, just for cheap meat,
I sit and watch as fears go by.

Rubashkin can't buy ev'rything,
He wants to hear the boys' choir sing.
All I hear is the sound of breaking rocks in the compound,
I sit and watch as fears go by.

It is the trial date of the jerk,
I sit and watch the children work.
Doin' things shouldn't do, they are too new.
I sit and watch as fears go by.

[effie]

YL: You reminded me of Marianne Faithful - but before she gained 150 lbs, smoked a billion cigarettes, and od'd repeatedly on heroin.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Thanks, Effie (I think...).

[Dr. Dave]

But Marianne Faithful did the best cover of "Working Class Hero" ever, after the cigarettes "matured" her vocal chords.

She also played god on Absolutely Fabulous (I think she did a better job than Alanis Morisette, Morgan Freeman or George Burns).

[WoolSilkCotton]

Libby, we've got to get you out of that wet orange jump suit and into a dry martini.

[WoolSilkCotton]

++most Rubashkin haters had an opinion on him before he was found guilty.

Posted by: Cheskel | May 11, 2010 at 04:11 PM++

Yes Cheskel, we had an opinion that he was guilty, and indeed, he was found guilty. You and your fellow Rubashkin TL'ers always seem to come out on the wrong side of the judge's and jury's decisions. Why do you suppose that is?

Oh yeah, I know. Antisemitism.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Yid and 1/2, have you seen the fitness center at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva?

Neither have I.

[libby in the hood]

Yochanan Lavie: Great!
Dr. Dave: You are correct about Absolutely Fab. with old drug-addicted Marianne.
WoolySilk: Dry martini is an excellent idea but it is "school-night". I have been trying "Manhattans" as of late. This is due to Rachel Maddow's love of the cocktail (Yes Yankel, it is the only cock she likes). But anyhow, Rachel made a Manhattan on one of her shows. Talk about going down memory line for Libby of 20 years ago. Great stuff!!

[WoolSilkCotton]

As Dean Martin said:

"My doctor says I don't need glasses. So I drink straight from the bottle."

[yidandahalf]

WSC, LOL. I must have missed it.

[Bill]

i think we need a whole separate thread on haredim and lack of exercise.

I would also like to see a whole thread about Haredim who smoke cigarettes, don't exercise, get fat on kishkeh and cholent, but always manage to seek out and find "the best doctor" for every ailment

[justice seeker]

His goose is cooked. To bad SMR doesn't know the history of his adopted state. In 1839, long before the civil war, the Iowa supreme court affirmed its free state status. Iowans take a dim view towards slavery. He should have gotten down on his knees and begged for a deal.

Somehow I doubt any of SMR's "TEN" children worked 16 hours a day in that hell hole. Imagine all of this just to fulfill his holy mission of providing kosher food. Sprinkled with the blood of abused children it doesn't sound very tasty to me.

On another note I think SMR is going to have to testify because its a civil trial.

[Bill]

justice,

it's a criminal trial.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Bill, the Intensive Care Units and Cardiac Care Units of all the major hospitals in the metro NY/NJ area have plenty of haredim as you described at 7:59.

Why does G-d cause them to have so much cardiovascular disease? Doesn't G-d look out for his favorites? Don't haredim get a free pass on preventive medicine, and are allowed to eat like hazerim and smoke and drink, and do no exercise?

Maybe it's antisemitism that causes the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among G-d's favorites. Or maybe it's because their women don't dress with enough tznius.

[sage]

Lack of excercise, smoking and carnivorous gluttony will put anyone into an early grave.

[Bill]

Wool,
I think it's the tznius.

Another favorite of mine is when they drive a school bus full of kids across country. No sleep for 4 days. they can't stop for coffee (because it's not "kosher"), just smelly tuna sandwiches with mayonaise in a foil.

anyway, at 2:30 am, while driving 92 miles an hour, they finally hit an ice patch and flip over. Two kids get permanent brain damage, a third is in a cast for a year. But "chasdai hashem," thank god no one died. so they have a big party.

[WoolSilkCotton]

The all night drives across multiple states with a minivan full of kids, dad behind the wheel still drunk from a simcha...

The driving of delapidated school buses full of kids from Montreal to Brooklyn, or Chicago to NY...

They learn nothing from previous experiences. Safety is meaningless. Worrying about safety is for goyem.

[Bill]

oh I forgot to mention....

at the party they retell the "ness" (miracle) in exquisite detail.

They will also mention the "anti-Semite" state trooper who had the nerve
to tack on a ticket for the missing bumper and busted headlight.

[effie]

Actually, I'm still chuckling when someone called haredim kids veal.

My pet peeve is their refusal to follow fire codes in schools/camps.

[Bill]

Then the rabbi pipes in that the lesson to be learned from all of this is that we need to be more careful about lashon ha'rah or tznius or whatever, anything but getting the brakes checked.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

YL _ JUst Great!

New Facebook group:
The Best Way to Help Rubashkin is to Teach Our Children to Follow the Law

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120680381286966&v=wall

[Yochanan Lavie]

OCR, Libby, Thanks.

[Abracadabra]

Bill & WSC & Effie,

You guys have me laughing non-stop!

It's so sad, it's funny!

[Abracadabra]

Anyway, I don't think the chareidim are going to write off Rubashkin even if he's convicted of the state child labor charges. He's their new cause celibre for how Anti-Semitic the courts are, finding Rubashkin guilty and putting him in jail, while he gives so much tzedakah and has so many kids! And for what? For lying, cheating and stealing? Who cares about THAT??!! So, once the courts are so Anti-Semitic, you can't believe anything they say. They just made up the child labor convictions because of how Anti-Semitic they are!

You see, you can twist anything into a kosher pretzel...

[Bill]

Abra,

I'm glad I was able to give you some chuckling material!

[sage]

I think the best long term plan, is for Shmarya to give Steven Speilberg a copy of the Blog Archives, going back to 2004, concerning the RCF, as a script for a really long full length movie possibly titled "The Rise and Fall of The House of Rubashkin."

Many of us bloggers could volunteer to play ourselves.

A true and honest piece of work, most suitable to pass on to our posterity.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Sage, there should be one character who just runs around in every scene shouting "antisemitism!" over and over and over.

[sage]

Yes, and, from time to time, YL's masterpiece parodies, sung by a professional choir.

[Dr. Moe]

Abracdbra,

Rubashkin was never ever charged nor convicted for stealing a dime.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Sage-
YL could bring them to the North American Jewish Choral Festival in the Catskills this July 25-29, where 400 singers would be eager to sight read his stuff. The old Granite hotel in Kerhonksen is now the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa. They kasher it for the week.

[Cheskel]

"" the Intensive Care Units and Cardiac Care Units of all the major hospitals in the metro NY/NJ area have plenty of haredim as you described at 7:59.

Why does G-d cause them to have so much cardiovascular disease? Doesn't G-d look out for his favorites? Don't haredim get a free pass on preventive medicine, and are allowed to eat like hazerim and smoke and drink, and do no exercise?

Maybe it's antisemitism that causes the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among G-d's favorites. Or maybe it's because their women don't dress with enough tznius.

Posted by: WoolSilkCotton | May 11, 2010 at 08:28 PM"""

Fact :

when ever there is a bacteria or infectious disease spreading around like wildfire it is very minimal in the chareidi community.

You will hear how the health dept is asking the public to wash hands as much possible.

No one is excluded of becoming sick but you can be more careful with bacterias if you live a clean life. You see wsc,many people live clean lifes. But in the chareidi community you will not find one person who wont wash hands after going to the bathroom.

Many people in the non-jewish world will wash hands before going to the bathroom not after(not all). As someone explained me that before he touches his you know what he wants to touch it with clean hands,how silly.

As far as what you write "Doesn't G-d look out for his favorites" i wouldn't touch that topic with you.

From your many different posts you seem to be a very big apikoras and according to the Talmud which you don't believe in it is not allowed to argue with an apikoras

[Bill]

Cheskel,

Your haredi community is plagued with sexually transmitted infections in both children and adults.

Your ritual hand washing has nothing to do with preventing disease or killing pathogenic organisms.

Your restaurants and mikvahs are filthy. Your public toilets are disgusting.

[Cheskel]

Your entire comment is pure Bull shit.

"Your haredi community is plagued with sexually transmitted infections in both children and adults."

maybe there is some but MOST people in the chareidi community don't run around shtoping other women or if there bi,other men.

Unlike in the non-Jewish world they do have many men/women before getting married. so where is there more chances of getting diseases?

"washing hands has alot to do in preventing diseases

Your ritual hand washing has nothing to do with preventing disease or killing pathogenic organisms.

''Your restaurants and mikvahs are filthy''.

Any time as clean and healthy food as Burger king/Mcdonald/ihop etc. Choolent and kishka herring is never as discusting as ham and eggs /shrimp or whatever trief you eat.

[sandra]

the beauty of the rubashkin case is that they have witnesses . quite a bit .
of all kinds .

[sandra]

bill is right .

the haredi bathrooms are filthy . there is no soap on the sink , near the toilet bowl . how can you wash your hands with no soap ? same thing when you want to eat and holod food with your hands , you must have soap .

the ritual wash 1, 2, 3 splashing water on each hand does not wash . you need soap and scrub one hand with the other .

your mikvah is filthy . you get diseases
if you bath in it .

they should put chlorine in the mokvah , just like in a swimming pool AND CHANGE THE WATER EVERY DAY .

i heard that chlorine is not allowed in a mikvah . why not ? there is no law against it . where does it say in the torah that you can't pour chlorine in the mikvah ?

[Yochanan Lavie]

Thanks, Sage, OCR.

[Bill]

wool,

the trifecta is when, at weddings, they have these trays full of cubed bread sitting near the handwashing station outside the toilet area.

people come right out of the toilet, unwashed, and do their negel vaser ritual fake "washing" shtick right there, spraying the bread with fecal matter, E. Coli, cholera and whatever other nastiness they got going on right there onto the bread.

Then they say a blessing and pick a couple dirty cubes with their dirty hands and eat it.

Filthy people.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Bill, don't forget how they all dry their hands on the same large towel hanging there by a nail.
BTW, washing with the 3x ritual after taking a leak or dump does not involve soap.

Hey Cheskel, did you ever hear of mumps? Why only in hasidic communities? Could it be the filth? Or maybe it's the antisemitism, right?

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/718455

And, Cheskel, bacteria don't cause cardiovascular disease. Chulent, kishka, and herring do.

Sandra, you are GREAT! I salute you for your straight shooting and energetic style.

[Bill]

Wool,

When they run out of "shabbes" toilet papar, they wipe themselves with "weekday"' (regular) toilet paper without cutting the toilet paper at all, which is prohibited on shabbes. (it's "work." They don't work all week, so on shabbes they have to be extra careful not to lift a finger.) and they leave the roll with the dirty loose end hanging right there into the toilet bowl for the next guy to wipe themselves with.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Bill, that sounds like a lot of effort to avoid doing any 'work'. But then, that's the hasidic way. Anything to avoid work.

When I became a baal tshuvah and spent a lot of time at yeshivas and in Brooklyn, that was the most startling thing I noticed- how incredibly lazy the men were. All other Jews I had ever known were hard working overachievers. It was quite a culture shock, and my first inkling that something wasn't right with the moral compass these folks were steering with.

[Bill]

Wool,

Their laziness is legendary.

So you're a recovered BT?

Not disrespectfully, I would like to understand BTs a little bit better.

Why work so hard, and give up so much, just to become a second class citizen in a third rate haredi society?

It babbles me.

[WoolSilkCotton]

It would require a lengthy essay, Bill.
I'll have to leave it for another day.

Suffice to say for now, that when you are a very lonely confused depressed college kid, and you meet a bunch of 'instant friends' from your own heritage, you gladly want to be taken in.

Will go to sleep soon, must wake up at 5:00 am. Since I am no longer hasidic, I must wake up early and go to work.

[Bill]

aha. thanks and good night!

[Cheskel]

the trifecta is when, at weddings, they have these trays full of cubed bread sitting near the handwashing station outside the toilet area.

people come right out of the toilet, unwashed, and do their negel vaser ritual fake "washing" shtick right there, spraying the bread with fecal matter, E. Coli, cholera and whatever other nastiness they got going on right there onto the bread.

Then they say a blessing and pick a couple dirty cubes with their dirty hands and eat it.

Filthy people.

Posted by: Bill | May 12, 2010 at 06:17 PM

So you agree with Hitler may his memory be cursed,how sad.