The rally also called for an end to the antiunion attacks by the company. The United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) recently won rulings by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 38 of the 42 unfair labor practices charges it had brought against the company following the loss of a union recognition vote last November.

Kayem Foods produces hot dogs and deli meats. The plant employs 320 workers, mostly from Latin America but also from Bosnia and Poland.

The march and rally was organized by the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), Massachusetts AFL-CIO, UFCW 1445, Chelsea Human Services Collaborative, Chelsea Commission on Hispanic Affairs, Jobs with Justice, Chelsea Latino Immigrant Committee, and the Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice.

Carrying signs demanding "Safety for Kayem workers," "Kayem workers have the right to organize," and "We support Kayem workers," participants marched from City Hall to the plant before the rally.

MassCOSH, which is partly funded by the government and by the unions, released a report at the rally about a health and safety assessment it made of Kayem in response to reports by "numerous workers about widespread injuries and health problems caused by unsafe and unhealthy work conditions at the plant."

Injuries cited in the report were finger and fingertip amputations, burns to the eyes and faces, shoulder and back injuries due to the falling of unstable racks weighing several hundred pounds, hearing loss, crushed ankles, respiratory and other health ailments due to exposure to extreme temperatures, and falls and other injuries caused by slippery floors and obstructed walkways.

The report explained further that MassCOSH undertook this investigation, "after several workers reported that they had spoken to management about hazards in the workplace, but that their concerns had been repeatedly ignored. Workers also reported that the vast majority were afraid to speak up due to fear of losing their jobs and/or fear it would affect their immigration status."

Sosa, quoted in a press release by MassCOSH on the march and rally, said, "It's been made very clear to us that production is more important than safety at Kayem. When someone is injured, they seem more concerned about the product's survival than that of the workers."

Gladys Vega from Chelsea Human Services chaired the rally and explained she had sent a letter to Kayem Foods president Ray Monkiewicz expressing concern over conditions in the plant. Vega said they have not received a reply from Mr. Monkiewicz. During the rally a delegation of religious, union, community, and elected officials went to the plant to ask for a meeting with Monkiewicz, but were blocked by local police who told them, "The owner does not want to speak to you."

Officials at Kayem Foods also declined to talk to a Boston Globe reporter. A good-sized article on the rally appeared in its September 21 issue.

Meat packer Brock Satter, who has been involved in the union organizing drive and is a worker at the plant for one year, also spoke at the rally. "I salute my co-workers who came out here today knowing that the company is watching us," he said. "To get safety we have to look out for each other and that is what a union is about." Satter also explained the company had tried to fire him a week earlier, but had to pull back because a delegation of a dozen co-workers approached company officials and urged them to rehire him.

Robert Haynes, president of the state AFL-CIO, spoke at the rally, and Rick Sharette, president of UFCW Local 1445. Local 1445 has 17,000 members in New England. It is currently on a drive to collect cards again for union recognition at Kayem Foods.

Ted Leonard works at Kayem Foods.  
 
 
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