Neb. Swift workers quit over prayer

[Ed Palmer]

Neb. Swift workers quit over prayer

Grand Island, Neb. - Nearly 100 Muslim workers have quit their jobs at a Swift & Co. meatpacking plant because their prayer times weren't accommodated.

"They kind of issued the company an ultimatum," said Dan Hoppes, president of Local 22 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

"They went in before the shift started (Monday) and said that they'd go unless they could pray when they needed to," Hoppes said today.

Sean McHugh, a spokesman for Swift at its Greeley headquarters, said breaks are governed by a labor contract and that all employees are told about them during orientation for all new workers.

"The company has a history of making reasonable accommodations for legitimate religious practices," he said Monday. "Swift has experienced no issues related to religious accommodations in recent years.

Hoppes said he believes the workers, who he said were Somali immigrants, had been offered jobs at a Kansas plant that would give them time off for prayer and make other accommodations for their religion. He didn't know the name of the company.

Hoppes said the union contract contained no provisions for prayer, which for many Muslims is a minimum of five times a day.

"They had talked to a couple of our representatives," Hoppes said, "but you can't go into the middle of the contract and renegotiate those types of things. You've got a lot of different nationalities at the plant, a lot of different religious beliefs."

He said the company had tried to work with the Muslim employees, telling them: "'These are your break times. Can you fit it into that?'" But, Hoppes said, "if you take a hundred people out of that line, you gotta shut down the line. ... It's a real touchy subject."

McHugh said Swift's 15,000-member domestic workforce is "a diverse mix of ethnicities and religious faiths." He said Swift expects no significant setbacks from the resignations.

[Ed Palmer]

Fanatic Muslims


SOMETHING TO CONSIDER!

A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War Two owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

"Very few people were true Nazis " he said," but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."

We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace.

Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam. The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.

It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals.

The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority" the "silent majority" is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia comprised Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

China's huge population, it was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War 2 was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel and bayonet.

And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

[OLE SARG]

Let the mmoooosslluummss pray ON THEIR OWN TIME. **** them and the rug they flew in on!!!!!!! Sick of this PC crap - They are visitors here, or illegal aliens, and if they don't like our culture catch the first ****ing rug back to where you came from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[Zulu 36]

If Swift has any real balls, they told them not to let the door hit them in the ass on the way out. When the ACLU or the muslim eqivalent comes calling, they'll tell them the same thing.

[gwladgarwr]

Buh-bye. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

Why is it that every time America lets in some Third World sahib to enjoy the freedoms and privileges Americans enjoy, they all of a sudden cop an attitude and DEMAND that their little customs and traditions be accomodated? They had NOTHING back where they come from, yet you give them a job, place to live, and maybe the chance at not getting AK'd by your neighbor because he hates your clan/religion/sect/whatever, and now they're all ENTITLED to something. Someone at Ellis Island forgot to tell them they ain't entitled to S*** and that they'd better get with the program once they're on these shores or they can go the f*** back to their miserable little mud hovels in Mogadishu or Kosovo or Guatemala or wherever it is they come from. And pray or bow for as long as they want and whenver they want - when they're not too busy ducking an RPG or running from a lynch mob trying to put a burning tire around their necks.

The southern border is a perfect example of this mindset.

Anyone remember the movie "Red Dawn"? Remember how the Cubans and Sandinistas invaded? Yeah, right up through Mexico and across the Rio Grande (the Soviets also parachuted in, but that's another thing.) You can bet they had an armed and fortified southern border at the end of the movie.

How about that story at that airport somewhere (Dulles?) where those Muslim cabbies refuse to pick up a fare who was carrying alcohol? So, now even passengers must accomodate a cabbie's religious sensibilities. Uh, I don't f***ing think so. You refuse a fare, you get fined. Do it a few more times, you lose your hack license. Most of them have backed down and now realize that you cannot use your religion to discriminate against others - esp. in business. You can practice your religion, but you can't force others to observe your own practices - something these serfs won't accept about America.

Just rambling.

Sgt gw

[drumcorpssnare]

Let the freakin' towel-heads pray when they have to take a sh!t in the restroom!!! Allah will be right there in the toilet!!!:evilgrin:
drumcorpssnare:usmc:

[Dave Coup]

The second piece says it all.

[David Jameson]

I don't want to see it happen BUT they will be back and if I was a betting man I'll bet they get thier pray time and and a nice little award after thier lawsuit .Remember HQMC just built these ****heads thier own prayer room .on one of or bases.This country is is acting like a bunch of ****s.

[killerinstinct]

HAHAH sounds like to me they are getting the american mentality of me me me me me me and its not fair..

I commend them for standing up for their beliefs but i condemn them for using my tax dollars to pay for the welfare they will soon be on.

[maspotente2]

Fxxk them Rag-Heads! If they don't like it...go back where they came from!

[sdk87to91]

Soon theywill want you to take down your Jesus picture too. and the way things are going it will probably have to happen. Sooner or later it will be illegal to be Christian, note the photos on another post about the liberals protesting the support of Israel. That is how I predict it will happen, it will be a liberal admin. that makes it illegal to support Israel and then it will just get worse.

I Study Revelation and it looks like today's world is on the verge.

In that context it is not so bad since it means only one thing, the end is near and it is not a bad ending for me.

[mark king]

let them go pray to a rug back in the dirt were they belong.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

To hell with them. It's a free country, now they are free to go someplace else and pray. Bite me.

[ggyoung]

Them damn ragheads have us by balls. They allready have more rights here in our land than we do. This is going to come back on Swift big time. I worked in a turkey proscesing plant in Moroni, Utah. At that time we were killing about 5-7 million turkeys a year. When that line stoped it cost about $5,000.00 a minuite. That was in 1973-74. We will all pay for it in some way.

[drumcorpssnare]

ggyoung- Hey, at least 100 jobs opened up for REAL Americans, right? And that processing plant in Utah...could it handle 5 - 7 million "towel-heads" a year? Ya, know...grind em up, and make pet food out of em.:D Not a bad idea...
drumcorpssnare:usmc:

[ggyoung]

drum++++++++++++++++++You are right about them jobs but I'm willing to bet that they will be filled by them south of the boarder typs. That is what happened to the turkey plant in my area. I had the highest paying jobs there and no other whiteman wanted. It was very dirty. That job was killing the turkeys (I suapose we could hang them ragheads by there feet and run some of the through the plant. But how would the goverment grade them). I do beleve that these south of boarder tyes would like that. We had some of them ragheads going to our little Snow Collage a few years ago but after one of them raped a locoal young thing they were run out of town.

[drumcorpssnare]

ggyoung- The way those ragheads run away from harms way, do you suppose they'd "taste like chicken" after they were processed?:D
drumcorpssnare:usmc:

[ggyoung]

Drum__________No. I bet they tast like chickensh!!t.

[mark king]

ggyoung- Hey, at least 100 jobs opened up for REAL Americans, right? And that processing plant in Utah...could it handle 5 - 7 million "towel-heads" a year? Ya, know...grind em up, and make pet food out of em.:D Not a bad idea...
drumcorpssnare:usmc:

hey 100 jobs for real americans thats sounds like a real good idea.

[Ed Palmer]

Well Swift blinked and the ragheads are going back to work , Whats next ?

About 70 Somali meatpacking workers returned to work Wednesday at a Swift & Co. plant in Grand Island after Omaha community representatives intervened to help narrow a culture gap.

A delegation led by Mohamed Rage, chairman of the Omaha Somali-American Community Organization, met with company and union officials Tuesday to explain how union contracts and company policy conflict with Islamic prayer requirements.

"Management was cordial and understanding," Rage said.

Somali workers left their jobs at the Swift plant last week because they were unable to complete an evening prayer - one of the five prayers required each day of the Islamic faith, Rage said.

The company agreed to allow a normal bathroom break to be used for prayer time. Workers agreed to limit their prayer time to the time available.

Workers were pleased with the meeting's results, Rage said.

"It was a gentlemen's agreement," he said.

Swift spokesman Sean McHugh said it was a productive meeting.

"All parties gained a better understanding of the others' concerns," McHugh said. "We've reached a mutually acceptable agreement that adheres to the provision of the existing labor contract."

McHugh said about 120 Somali workers resigned last week. By Wednesday afternoon, he said, about 70 had returned to work.

[OLE SARG]

These sheetheads need to realize they are VISITORS and not ****ing citizens. You don't get special treatment because you ****ing kneel on a rug and pray to a false god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[FistFu68]

:evilgrin: AFTER ALL WHAT IS A SWIFT CAN OF SPAM,A FRIGGING HAM;THAT FLUNKED IT'S PHYSICAL.(LMAO):beer:

[10thzodiac]

The now closed Brach Candy Company in Chicago had plenty of Muslims in the '70's while I was there. In my electrical maintenance department we had two. One was a Palestinian the other a Persian (Iranian). There was also many more throughout the 250 man Brach maintenance department, one, a Palestinian, was our maintenance foreman second shift.

Shipping and receiving was loaded with them.

During my 10 years there, nobody, I mean nobody did the prayer thing !

Go figure...

Brach's was the United Nations, you name it we had it. In the electric shop we even had Tom, Dick and Harry. Respectfully, Tom was Italian, Dick was German, Harry was a Hindu Indian. I could go on an on...

One time Harry the Hindu was eating a hamburger in the cafeteria and another Indian Hindu got on his ass for eating cows (sacred).

Steve the Palestinian electrician would loose his mind smoking pot and could not stop laughing with tears running down his cheeks while working.

We had a couple of Jews that didn't last too long, their bosses were from Germany. Even though they were not in the union yet and I was their union steward I was able to get one of them a union hearing by the Brach industrial relations. The Puerto Rican Jew claimed he was being terminated during probation (new hire) because his German boss was prejudice (company was top heavy with Germans). The German Machine shop foreman when accused of being prejudice, simply said he was Jewish too http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif The other German (my boss, whose father fought the Russians at Stalingrad (hosed by a Russian machine gun there ) had no trouble as his Jew said it was the bosses prerogative to fire him and he accepted it and didn't want help.

I personally think both were qualified, but the Jewish electrician in my opinion was gay. I and another electrician noticed he liked working way to close to us always rubbing up against us http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/50.gif

After I left they started hiring female electricians, my luck...

They made good candy and I liked working there. Of course I commited political suicide and had to leave :D

[Larry2401]

What if another religious group such as the LDS, or Buddist wanted prayer time, would they get it? No. If they want to pray, pray after work or during lunch not on company time. Heck I am going to join the church of the Holy Budweiser and go to work at Swift and demand my time to "pray" because its in my religion.

[maverickmarine]

Well no ****, of course the ****in' rag heads got their nasty prayer time. ****es me off!

I do like the idea of the church of the Holy Budweiser though. LOL

[OLE SARG]

I hear that KCI in Kansas City, MO, has now made available for the ****, I mean sheetheads, to wash their stinking feet in the restrooms there. I plan on visiting those restrooms and I will take my LEAK in those footwashers and leave some GROUND PORK in them so the mmmuuusssllliiimmmsss can GET REAL DIRTY (pork to them is dirty). I can not believe they are being catered to - this PC bull**** has gone too ****ing far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI,

[Devildogg4ever]

Drum__________No. I bet they tast like chickensh!!t.

Yep, sounds about right!!!!

[10thzodiac]

What's funny about the above post, is what little we American's know about what they are feeding us !

http://ehso.com/ehshome/FoodSafety/chickenmanure.php

:D

[Sgt Leprechaun]

The "spokesmans" name is appropriate. Last name of "rage".

LOL. That just sums it all up perfectly.

[3077India]

I'm just a bit confused, did they get the job so they would get paid to pray or pray that they would get paid.:p

I remember when I was in basic, our Senior Drill Instructor told us, "You didn't join the Corps so you could go to church." Just like those d*** muslims didn't get a job so their religious beliefs could be upheld, but I'm beginning to see that they weren't really interested in earning a paycheck either.