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Justice for Swift Worker’s Campaign
Silvia worked at Swift and Company for
four years. Despite asking for it, she never received proper training
for her job. The line moved so fast and it wasn’t long before
she had two slipped disks in her back. For eight months, the company
nurses gave her ice and ibuprofen and told her that the pain would
go away with time. By the time she went to the doctor for her back,
her shoulder and hand had also been injured.
Silvia’s story is just one of many
that CCI has heard. Many members have expressed concerns about working
conditions at Swift and Company meat packing plant in Marshalltown.
They share stories of excessive line speeds, repetitive motion injuries
and firings. Workers at the plant estimate that 75% of them suffer
a repetitive stress disorder.
In January 2005, Latinos en Acción
de CCI launched a Justice for Swift Worker’s Campaign. The
goals of the campaign are:
1) Slower line speeds
2) Fair treatment of workers, and
3) No retaliation against workers that speak up for better working
conditions.
Our efforts to make Swift a better
place to work include:
• On November 14, Latinos en Acción
de CCI and Iowa’s Labor Commissioner signed a two-year alliance
agreement with the purpose of educating Swift workers on their
right to a safe workplace and help them report any hazardous conditions.
The alliance agreement is a direct result
of an October meeting members had with a Safety Consultant from
the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA).
In the meeting, over 50 CCI members shared testimonies about problems
faced by Swift employees. Members also said that Swift is unwilling
to work with them to make the plant safer.
• In early 2005, Latinos en Acción
de CCI held two Know-Your-Rights trainings for packing plant workers
in Marshalltown attended by more than 140 people. At the training,
participants learned their basic rights as a worker and as a union
member from national experts.
• In September 2004, Latinos en
Acción de CCI hosted a Celebration of Immigrant Workers
Day at the Marshalltown Central Iowa Fairgrounds. More than 500
people came to celebrate the contributions of immigrant workers
to the community.
Human Rights
Watch report declares meatpacking most dangerous job in US
A January 2005 report released
by Human Rights Watch declared meatpacking to be the most dangerous
job in America.
READ THE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT
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Opening lines of communication
Following up on complaints from members on what they felt was racial
profiling, in August CCI began researching traffic tickets issued
by a Polk County deputy and found that over 50 percent of his stops
involved Latinos. (Iowa’s Latino population is estimated at
less than 5 percent).
In October, CCI held a meeting attended
by more than 90 members and other residents to address racial profiling
issues related to the Polk County Sheriff’s office. Polk County
Sheriff Dennis Anderson was invited to attend the meeting, but had
ignored CCI’s request for a meeting since August.
During the meeting, three CCI members laid
out their case against a Polk County deputy who they believe stopped
them for nothing more than the color of their skin. In all instances,
they believe they were stopped because they are Latino. Several
members of the public also gave testimony of being pulled over unjustly
and talked about this widespread problem. Members stressed that
they want to be treated fairly and that they want to establish a
working relationship with the Sheriff (as has been done with the
Des Moines Police Chief) that will benefit local Latinos and their
families.
Our efforts caught the attention of the
U.S. Department of Justice, which investigates profiling complaints
against government agencies. Two DOJ representatives came to Des
Moines and held a negotiation meeting in December with the Sheriff
(& his top staff) and a team of CCI members. We said again that
we want to make sure our concerns are dealt with thoroughly and
that everyone is treated fairly.
Currently, our members are in the process
of filing official complaints with the sheriff's department. We
plan to hold another public meeting to outline Sheriff policies
and to build a working relationship with Sheriff officials.
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Members work for soccer fields
Soccer is the sport of choice for most
Latinos and while there are over twelve public softball fields in
Marshalltown, there are no public soccer fields. Latinos en Acción
de CCI members decided to do something about it.
In an August meeting with city and school
officials, members illustrated the need for additional soccer fields
in Marshalltown. Members told officials that public fields would
provide a recreational outlet for the entire community, both Anglo
and Latino. They also shared some of the economic contributions
the Latino community makes each year in Marshalltown – more
that $30 million in taxes and consumer spending.
As a result, school officials agreed to donate space for two public
soccer fields and members also received a commitment from city officials
to build 4 additional soccer fields by the summer of 2007.
Members continue to meet to plan for the
soccer fields and are working to develop a Latino led soccer league
in Marshalltown.
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