An issue of Workers' Voice, the in-plant newsletter of the union organizing committee, explained that "the results were predictable. The worker soiled herself. As if that wasn't bad enough, the supervisor that wouldn't let her go actually made an inappropriate comment about going and buying her a clean pair of panties. He thought the entire episode was funny."

The fight over this incident at Dakota is the latest in a two-year effort by meat packers at the beef slaughterhouse to organize a union. The struggle began with a successful seven-and-a-half-hour sit-down strike in June 2000. Among the workers' demands were that the boss slow down the line speed and end the practice of forcing employees to continue working while they are injured. Simultaneously workers began a struggle to organize a union in the plant. Seven weeks later, the big majority of workers voted to become members of Local 789 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW).

The company, however, has stalled negotiations with the union by filing several appeals with the National Labor Relations Board, hoping to wear down the union members and ultimately reverse the results of the vote. A number of fights and skirmishes have been initiated by workers in the plant in order to defend their rights and interests.

After being denied the right to use the restroom, the young woman went to talk to Evelyn Acosta, the head of personnel, who told her that no bathroom breaks are allowed for the job she holds. The worker and others from the kill department went to the union hall after work that day to discuss how to respond to the attack on their dignity.

The May 10 Workers' Voice reported on the meeting, noting that "several of the workers stated that it's difficult to find the human resource person to deal with these matters. They said, 'It's like being in a prison.'" The meat packers decided to get out an issue of Workers' Voice to tell the story of what happened. Union president Bill Pearson wrote up the article over the weekend and union supporters distributed it to co-workers on Monday, May 13.

Workers at the meeting also decided to organize a delegation to go to meet with company officials to show their collective opposition to the actions of the boss and their determination to stand up for their rights.

The company responded by calling a meeting of all the workers in the kill department the following day. According to Obdulia Flores, a worker in the kill department, the boss said the company "could not permit workers simply to go to the bathroom when they needed to. However, they would permit workers to go to the bathroom if they signed a list, so that the company could keep track of who was going to the bathroom, for how long, and for how often."

The company is also on a productivity drive at its beef slaughterhouse in Long Prairie, Minnesota. According union member Carlos Salinas, the bosses at the plant are pressing workers to increase production to 900 head of cattle a day. Workers in the kill department at the plant are also are not permitted to go to the bathroom.

Last year workers in the boning department at Long Prairie organized a two-hour sit-down strike in order to beat back the increased line speed in the plant. Both plants are owned by Rosen's Diversified, a meatpacking and chemicals company.

UFCW Local 789 president Pearson issued another Workers' Voice May 17 to report that very initial talks had begun between the company and the union over the possibility of a contract and arrangements had been made for further discussion.

Samuel Farley is a worker at Dakota Premium Foods.  
 
 
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