Beltway Area Indymedia

(AUDIO: 3 min 46 seconds)
Paula Dean promotes buttery recipies, family values-and Smithfield products. On April 18, her book signing tour was greeted at the Museum of Natural History by protesotrs angry about Smithfield's abuses.

One speaker at the rally recounted how a worker was injured and then fired. First this worker accidently cut his arm due to high production line speeds.

Workers are not allowed to leave the line without permission for ANY REASON. This includes going to the bathroom-and getting seriously hurt! Anyway, as this worker stayed at the station, blood pooled on the floor, making it slippery. Finally he fel on the floor-with his knife anding up in his leg.

Management was slow to let him leave even after that, and when Smithfield's clinic treated the wound, they only cleaned the outside of it. This led to infection, to multiple surgeries-and to his being FIRED when the doctor told Smithfield he could now only stand for 30 minutes at at time.

Many other horror stories were told at the rally, but this one is typical. People ranging frok union activists to pastors of DC churches spoke out against the horrifying abuses at Smithfield's Tar Heel, N. C. plant.

In addition to Smithfield's horrific record of workplace safety, they have met worker attempts to organize with a campaign of racist terror. Management has tried to stir up racism and division between African-American and Latino workers, and has threatened to bring in immigration authorities to deport Latino workers who try to bring in the union.

Compasionate shoppers should not stand for workers being rendered unable to stand up, neither on the shop floor nor to mamagement! Boycott Smithfield, boycott Harris-Teeter(Smithfield is their house brand pork products)-and boycott Paula Dean's books