For immediate release Contact: Leila McDowell 202 306 7947
Tuesday, August 7
Smithfield workers walk out and hold sit-in over lack of drinking water today
Smithfield livestock workers at Tar Heel, the world's largest pork processing plant, say it took over three hours to get clean drinking water yesterday despite the heat advisory. This morning, after requesting a meeting with plant management, who refused, forty percent of the livestock workers walked out and are now holding a sit in the grassy area in front of Livestock. Production at the plant has been dramatically reduced. Livestock workers move 32,000 pigs a day from the trucks to the plant for processing.
Workers have been trying for 5 months to get regular access to clean drinking water, have signed petitions and tried unsuccessfully several times to meet with management over the issue which they say is dangerous to their health. An OSHA complaint filed by the workers several months ago over water and other safety issues resulted in an inspector accepting the company's contention that the problems have been corrected. The workers appealed that decision with state and federal OSHA.
Libby Manly
Community Organizer
Smithfield Campaign
United Food and Commercial Workers
1408 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27605
Cell: 919-491-2262
Fax: 919-828-2102
www.smithfieldjustice.org
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