Jobs with Justice, a national organization with the vision of lifting up workers’ rights and struggles as part of a larger campaign for economic and social justice, is conducting its 6th Annual online Grinch of the Year election to determine the national figure who does the most harm to working families.
This years nominees are – envelope please - Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Joseph Luter III, the President of Smithfield Packing.
Goodyear earned the dishonor by forcing 15,000 USW members out on strike at 16 plants across North America in October. Despite concessions given by United Steelworkers (USW) members and retirees in 2003 to insure that Goodyear remained in business, Goodyear is now insisting on additional plant closings and even deeper concession in this round of bargaining.
Smithfield operates the largest pork slaughterhouse in the world. In southeastern North Carolina, Smithfield operates a dangerous workplace, forcing its workers who have not been adequately trained to work at exceedingly fast line speeds. Every day, workers are injured, harassed, intimidated, and threatened by Smithfield management.
For more than 10 years workers have fought relentlessly for a voice on the job. In 1994 and 1997, workers tried to hold a union election but were met with the coercive fist of Smithfield. After the vote count at the 1997 election, one union supporter and one union organizer were dragged out of the plant, beaten, insulted with racial epithets, and arrested.
From 2000-2005, Smithfield had its own police force with the state police power to make arrests on Smithfield property. During its brief stint as a police force, the Smithfield Company Police arrested over 90 workers.
Smithfield pays poverty wages to its employees and fails to provide adequate treatment to injured workers, but former CEO and current Chairman of the Board, Joseph Luter III, takes in $83,333.33 each month in a base salary just for consulting Smithfield. Under the terms of Luter’s contract, he is also entitled to use the company jet and receives cash incentive awards. Even in retirement, Luter is afforded a lavish lifestyle.
You can vote by going to www.jwj.org/grinch.html.
You can also cast a write in vote, and I would love to see some local Michigan nominees.
In addition to the Grinch of the Year, over at the Michigan Caucus they are still taking nominations for Michigan’s Worst 25. There are currently 54 nominees, and the voting starts next week. The winner – actually loser – gets the covered Tin Can Trashcan® award. Make your nominations at www.micaucus.com/michigan_caucus/2006/11/the_michigan_ca.html#comment-25566061.
8 comments:
Does Goodyear/Smithfield have a plant in Michigan? Guru you stated to me that your blog is devoted to state and local issues, what does Goodyear/Smithfield have to do with Livingston County. Again you deviate from what you say to promote your Liberal agenda.
I am assuming that in both the 1994 and the 1997 Smithfield union election that the union lost. That means that the workers exercised their democratic rights and voted no to being a union shop. That is how a democracy works, is this not correct. Apparently the workers felt that they were better off not being under the union thumb and have control of there our destiny. Again this is how democracy works
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.
Guru, it looks like I am the only one that visits your site. all your posts have no comments, either no one visits or no one cares even your Liberal brethren, that’s Ok I will make sure you post the truth.
I know you can’t write very well, hate America, but now you’re proving you can’t read very well either. What I said was, “I am primarily concerned with state and local politics.”
I don’t know if Goodyear of Smithfield has a plant on Michigan or not. However, if you want to nominate a plant in Michigan for Grinch of the Year you be my guest.
Do you really call union organizers and supporters being beaten, their rights violated and being physically intimidated as how Democracy works? Actually, I already know the answer to that. Unions are the reason we have a middle class in this country, and the drive for rock bottom wages is why the middle class is disappearing.
“Power to the People?” Are you serious? Which ones, the richest 1 percent? What a joke.
A lot more people than you visit the site, but I love it when you post, hate America. You keep posting your twisted version of the truth because every time you post you do more for my side. Keep up the idiotic posts.
Guru, Is this the 1 % you speak of that pay 35%of all taxes.
Using the Internal Revenue Service figures.
The top 1% pay 34.27% of all income taxes.
The top 5% pay 54.36% of all income taxes.
The top 10% pay 65.84% of all income taxes.
The top 25% pay 83.88%.
The top 50% pay 96.54%
.
The bottom 50%? They pay 3.46% of all income taxes
.
The top 1% is paying nearly ten times the federal income taxes than the bottom 50%!
The top 1% earns 16.77% of all income
The top 5% earns 31.18% of all the income
The top 10% earns 42.36% of all the income.
The top 25% earns 64.86% of all the income
The top 50% earns 86.01% of all the income.
You again did not answer the question. Did the Smithfield workforce vote no(1994-1997) to the union both times? Yes or No
You never asked that question, but of course the answer is yes. I forget that you have a reading comprehension problem. With own police force with the state police power to make arrests and a history of beating and intimidating union organizers the answer is pretty obvious.
Yes, that’s what I mean. Is that what you meant? How about a link to this IRS data?
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