Laurel, MS Update:
The AP Reports:
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Attorney General Jim Hood's office is determining whether a new Mississippi law was violated by Howard Industries in Laurel, the site of the largest workplace immigration raid in U.S. history. "We'll look at what they've done and determine if it's a violation of state law, as well as determine if we need to enforce it," Hood told The Associated Press. The law passed by the 2008 Legislature and signed by Gov. Haley Barbour requires public and private employers in the state to use the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to check new workers' immigration status.
Don´t look for Billy Howard to be charged however, particularly when you consider Laurel has provided over $50M in assistance to Howard Industries. Billy Howard must be Laurel´s favorite son! Time will tell.
Laurel, MS Leader Call reports: (summary)
If the outcome (of the Attorney General´s investigation) finds criminal offenses, the question of city, county, and state incentives arises. Much of Howard Industries’ recent growth has come through local tax exemptions and state-backed financial incentives.
(Beyond previous assistance) Laurel city leaders are also in the midst of a deal to help Howard Industries expand to the old Delphi plant in the industrial park. The Laurel City Council in July approved another change order to the Howard Industries’ Delphi project. With a vote of 6-1 the council approved changes to the ongoing Howard Industries’ Delphi Building Improvement Project. The council’s vote approved a fourth change order for additional work at the Delphi building project on the condition that a letter from Howard Industries agree to pay the additional $829,946 is received. Last year, the city approved an approximately $6.7 million bid from Larry J. Sumrall Contractors, Inc. for the improvement project. In December, the city council approved Change Order No. 1 for $1.24 million. Then in February, Change Order #2 for $1,660,321. In April, the council agreed to approve change order No. 3 for an additional $333,354.
BREAKING NEWS - Laurel:
Will Howard Industries be moving to Mexico? Reports indicate they are NOT paying their contractors and if the FEDS pursue charges, will lose multi millions in financial incentives.
laurelleadercall.com Sept. 8, 2008: One of Howard Industries suppliers has filed a federal lawsuit in United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. HD Supply, Inc. filed the suit against Howard Industries August 14, claiming the local industry hasn’t paid HD Supply $72,652.53 past due more than 90 days. There was an overdue charge of $679.48 for one to 30 days past due that was paid recently, according to court documents. The overdue balance of more than $70,000 has revolved from charges made as early as November 18, 2006.
Postville Update:
Don´t expect the Rubashkins to be sanctioned any time soon. They are up to their old tricks again, continuing to stomp down on their hired illegal immigrant exploited workers when they attempt to join a union.
The Boston Globe Reports:
THE OWNERS of Agriprocessors are at it again. The infamous kosher meat company, whose Iowa plant was raided in May and found to have hundreds of illegal immigrants working in substandard conditions, now wants to challenge a vote to unionize at its Brooklyn distribution center. The reason? Many of the workers who voted to unionize are illegal immigrants.
The company argues that employees who shouldn't be in the country at all have no right to unionize. But the US Supreme Court ruled in 1984 that undocumented workers "plainly come within the broad statutory definition of employee" and that extending union protections to them is consistent with the intent of Congress when it wrote the National Labor Relations Act.
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7 comments:
Well now that the illegal workers are gone from Agri-Processors, the legal workers can take a new vote whether they want to unionize or not. It matters not what happened in the past when illegal workers were involved in this voting process. They are gone! The employer will have to honor the wishes of those on his payroll now. Why talk about the past as far as wanting to create a union? It is over with.
Dee, remember our discussion about Oklahoma? we talked about this six months ago. I predicted that unemployed african american men would be offered plenty of jobs as soon as the undocumented left the state.
Well, if you do a google search you will see plenty of letters in which employers in Oklahoma say that they are raising wages and doing extensive outreach in order to fill their jobs. (of course the employers complain about this) and the african american community is being courted like never before.
In the black communities of Oklahoma, the availability of jobs is unlike anything we have seen in more than ten years. In fact, driving around tulsa there are a number of billboards from employment agencies - the billboards have big pictures of african american men on them and the billboards ask "satisfied? we offer $20 an hour"
It shows in the statistics, it shows in the feeling on the ground, it shows in the communities. 1804 has opened up jobs that never before were open to african americans.
Dee, i know you have a good heart and i know you want to get to the essence of this issue. I know you live in Dallas - it is a relatively easy drive up to Oklahoma - i ask you to make appointments with the pastors at a few african american churches in oklahoma - talk to them hear the truth of what is going on.
We are not in the promised land yet, but in terms of employment opportunities for our young black men, we are closer than we have been in a long time.
And Dee, before you point out that the "antis" include many racists, let me say you are correct. The loudest and most prominent antis are in my opinion racist. or "race realists" as they like to call themselves. or "race chauvinists" as the more educated among them like to call themselves
And you don't have to lecture me that the KKK is solidly in the anti camp. Many of the antis are scum.
But at the end of the day, 1804 has helped the african american community in Oklahoma like no other piece of legislation since Lyndon Johnson. Just cause the racists favor 1804, doesn't mean that african americans can't thank god for it
Oklahoma's unemployment rate, which was a seasonally adjusted 4.3% and 4.4%, respectively, in September and October 2007 (4.1% and 4.2% unadjusted), has fallen to a seasonally adjusted 3.1% in both February and March of this year (3.5% and 3.2% unadjusted). The unemployment rate in most states has gone up from September 2007 to March 2008. In states where the rate has gone down, none has shown an improvement like that seen in the Sooner State - not even close.
Pat,
They are talking about their plant in Brooklyn. They were NOT raided. Apparently Agriprocessors has many illegal immigrants still working their who voted to unionize.
Remember in Postville, the reason the Rubashkins brought in their friends from ICE to raid the place was because the workers (including undocumented) were going to vote to join a union.
Oh, right dee! An employer is going to invite ICE into it's facility to raid it and put himself in jeopardy for hiring illegals via fines and possible prison time, all to stop a union from being formed? It isn't only the illegals who wanted a union but legal workers also. What will his next move be to stop a union after all the illegal workers are gone? Set the place on fire?
They knew they were not going to get arrested. They are cronies!
They acknowledged, as did the unions, the illegal immigrants were signing up to join the union. That is when Agriprocessors called in ICE to sweep them out of there. Go back and look at my original blogs on this. Its all there!
Oh, but there WERE arrests made at Agri-Processors besides the illegals. You are just pissed because the owners themselves weren't arrested and the reason for that is that there is still an ungoing investigation.
It was at Howard I believe that the union rumor came into play. As I said, it wasn't only the illegals who wanted a union but the legal workers also. How were they going to stop them? You have no proof of your allegations whatsover, only hearsay. Howard was under investigation for years.
Howard could have just as easily fired the illegals who voted for a union and saved themselves the embarrassment of an ICE raid. You are just grasping at straws here, dee.
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