Tyson drops Labor Day holiday for Eid al-Fitr
Friday, August 1, 2008
By Brian Mosely

Workers at Tyson Foods' poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall.
A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the ... Muslim workers at the plant."

The RWDSU stated that "the five-year contract creates an additional paid holiday, Iidal Fitil, a Muslim holiday that occurs toward the end of Ramadan."



Eid al-Fitr falls on Oct. 1 this year.

Tyson's Director of Media Relations, Gary Mickelson, stated that while the new contract does not provide an additional holiday, as the union claimed, "the new contract includes eight paid holidays, which is the same number provided in the old contract."

"However, the union leadership did request and receive Eid al-Fitr (which is apparently spelled various ways including Id al-Fitr and Eid ul-Fitr) as a paid holiday in place of Labor Day," Mickelson confirmed in an e-mail to the T-G.

"Since all Team Members will still have eight paid holidays, the change will not affect production," Mickelson said.

Eid al-Fitr means "Festival of the Breaking of the Fast" in Arabic, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.

The festival "is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer (salat) at daybreak on its first day. It is a time of official receptions and private visits, when friends greet one another, presents are given, new clothes are worn, and the graves of relatives are visited," the encyclopedia said.

Mickelson said that "Eid al-Fitr is one of eight paid holidays for all Team Members covered by the contract, while Labor Day is not a paid holiday."

"Based on the contract, the other paid holidays include: The Team Member's birthday, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day," Mickelson said.

"Implementing this holiday was a challenge, since it falls on a different day every year and is declared on fairly short notice," RWDSU Representative Randy Hadley said in the press release. "But the negotiating committee felt this was extremely crucial, since this holiday is as important to Muslims as Christmas is to Christians."

"The date for this holiday (Eid al-Fitr) is not the same each year," Mickelson said. "however, it is in the early fall."

The press release stated there are approximatly 700 Muslims working at Tyson, but Mickelson said that Somalis only represent approximately 250 of the 1,200 employed at the plant, a little over 20 percent of the workforce.

"All Team Members who have completed their probationary period are eligible for all eight paid holidays including Eid al-Fitr," the Tyson spokeman said.

The union also claimed that in addition to the observance of the Muslim holiday, "two prayer rooms have been created to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."

Mickelson said that Shelbyville's Tyson plant "does have a prayer room to accommodate the needs of Muslim Team Members."

"In addition to regular, non-paid breaks, all Team Members are allotted a seven-minute paid break," the Tyson spokesman said. "Some Team Members choose to pray during this time."

However, Mickelson took issue with another claim made by RWDSU, which stated that another "improvement" in the contract is time-and-a-half pay for Team Members who work more than an eight hour shift.

"This statement is not accurate," Mickelson said. "This overtime pay provision is not new nor is it unique. In fact, it was included in the previous contract."

You can bet those Muslim workers would've screamed bloody murder had they changed the Easter Holiday to Passover.  Or Thanksgiving to Purim . . . .

But since it's "just" an American Holiday being removed. it's ok . . .

/sarcasm off

It's called the Wussification of America. Coming to a city, town or corporation near you. Bend over, grab your ankles, and experience this uplifting rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul.

Last one out turn out the lights.

And I suppose they will get OT or DT for working on the legal holiday.

I am so sick of people coming to this country and saying they want to be Americans, and then expecting Americans to bend to their traditions while they are bashing ours.

As far as I am concerned they can take their Rama and shove it up their dan hole.

This crap hits a 10 on the BS meter.  >:(

Time to boycott Tyson products?   >:(

Linda_Howell wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 1:19pm:

Time to boycott Tyson products?   >:(

Amen sista!!!! >:(

I'll probably take some sh@t for this, but...

I was born and rasied in this country, but too am a minority.  

I too would like to be able to have paid Holiday time to celebrate MY High Holidays.  I would like to keep my vacation time for VACATION time, not take those days in order to practice and celebrate my faith.  

However...I DO use my personal, vacation and even sick time to ensure I have the ability to practice my faith.  

Now...many businesses do NOT observe federaland/or holidays by closing their doors.  Someone has to work those days.  There are ways that companies can make everyone happy. They chose the easy way out, as in this case.  Even with unions, there is a way to respect the diversity of the workers while limiting the paid days off.

An example of this might be that the company compiles a list of all religious holidays it can recognise.  

The company shuts it's doors on it's usual schedual, however each employee chooses the 8 paid holidays they will observe and HR has this on recordi.  If the company is shut down on a day that is not on the employee list there is no holiday pay for that day.  It's just a day off. If there is a day the doors are open and it is a holiday for certan employees, they get the day off with pay while the rest of the crew works .  



Bottom line is that the company saves money all the way around, as they will pay fewer people holiday pay on closed door days, and will still have a good sized work crew on the open door days.  The same number of paid holidays each employee has remains the same.  Limit of 8.  

Just a random Sunday afternoon thought.

Snopes.com
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Shelbyville Times-Gazette
Shelbyville, Tennessee ~ Sunday, August 3, 2008
Tyson drops Labor Day holiday for Eid al-Fitr
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2008 Federal Holidays

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Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the following public holidays for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a non-workday -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

Tuesday, January 1        
New Year’s Day
Monday, January 21      
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 18*      
Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 26      
Memorial Day
Friday, July 4      
Independence Day
Monday, September 1      
Labor Day
Monday, October 13      
Columbus Day
Tuesday, November 11      
Veterans Day
Thursday, November 27      
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, December 25      
Christmas Day

* This holiday is designated as "Washington’s Birthday" in section 6103(a) of title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees. Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.


Labor Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working man".

Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.[1] All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday - a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations", followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.


Eid ul-Fitr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Eid ul-Fitr

Main article: Eid ul-Fitr

Eid is the Arabic word for celebration and Fitr is the Arabic word for feast. Eid ul-Fitr or The Celebration of the Feast is the holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan and the month-long fast. During Ramadan, Muslims all over the world fast from dawn (before sun rise) to sunset, having their first daily meal at sun down prayer time. The purpose of fasting is to teach Muslims patience and humility, as well as to remind Muslims that they are fortunate and should help the needy and less fortunate. The main benefit of Ramadan is for the Muslims to train themselves to exercise restraint with the result being a closer relationship with Allah (God) and a healthier more appreciative self by the end of the month. After sun down of the last day of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr starts. In the early morning of the first day of Shawwal (first day of the Eid), Muslims perform a ritual prayer called the Eid prayer. Sweets, food, and non-alcoholic drinks are distributed in masajid and homes. Celebrations extend up to three days Ramadan the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Also gifts are given out and also traded between friends and family.

Eid ul-Fitr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eid ul-Fitr or Id-Ul-Fitr often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fitr means "to break the fast" (and can also mean "nature", from the word "fitrah") and so symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period.

Eid ul-Fitr starts the day after Ramadan ends, and is verified by the sighting of the new moon. Muslims give money to the poor and wear their best clothes. Eid ul-Fitr lasts three days and is called "The Smaller Eid" compared with the Eid ul-Adha that lasts four days and is called "The Greater Eid".

On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family awakes very early, does the first everyday prayer, and is required to eat a little, symbolizing the end of Ramadan. They then attend special congregational prayers held in mosques, large open areas, stadiums and arenas. The prayer is generally short and is followed by a sermon (khutba). Worshipers greet and embrace each other with hugs in a spirit of peace and love after the congregational prayer. After the special prayers, festivities and merriment are commonly observed with visits to the homes of relatives and friends to thank God for all blessings.

Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion with important religious significance, celebrating the achievement of enhanced piety. It is a day of forgiveness, moral victory, peace of congregation, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Muslims celebrate not only the end of fasting but also thank God for the self control and strength that Muslims believe God gave them. It is a time of giving and sharing, and many Muslims dress in holiday attire.


About RWDSU

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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW, CLC, represents workers throughout much of the United States and Canada. RWDSU members work in a wide variety of occupations that range from food processing to retail to manufacturing to service and health care.

Poultry workers in the south, supermarket workers in Canada and New York, retail workers in the northeast, candy, juice, cereal and dairy workers in the Mid West, soft drink bottlers in New England, and government employees in New Jersey are among the many workers who have a strong voice on the job through the RWDSU.

Diversity is one of the strengths of our union. Members of the RWDSU may work in many different industries. We may come from different countries and speak different languages. But what unites us is the belief that by standing together we can better advance our interests and protect our rights as working people.

Today's RWDSU

Today the RWDSU continues to actively represent members and to organize new members. The union remains the strength behind members' efforts to make better lives for themselves and their families and that often means the ability to negotiate better wages, benefits and working conditions.

The RWDSU is also active in politics and the legislative process. The union works to give voice to the concerns of working people in the political arena and to inform members about issues that affect them as workers. The union provides expert workplace health and safety information and guidance. And through the Union Privilege Program members have access to consumer related programs that provide, among other things, discounted legal and mortgage programs and a credit card program.

But being a member of the union means more than just a better work life. The RWDSU is proud of its longstanding commitment to civil rights. We stood with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight for greater civil rights and the union was the first in the nation to negotiate Dr. King's birthday as a paid holiday. The RWDSU was also one of the first unions to pass a convention resolution to support black trade unions in South Africa and the union provided election observers for the first free elections in that country. Today the union continues to advocate for greater civil rights for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, country of origin, gender, physical limitation or sexual orientation.

Union members are also active in their communities. The RWDSU and many locals throughout the U.S. and Canada maintain and support scholarship programs, food banks, citizenship assistance programs, voter registration drives, disaster relief and other programs to help our local communities.

The Roots of the RWDSU

In the early 1930's a group of local unions in New York banded together to form what came to be known as the RWDSU. Originally chartered by the Congress of Industrial Organizations* in 1937, the RWDSU has grown far beyond its birthplace.
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*A side note/info added by me:
Congress of Industrial Organizations
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In 1954 the existing RWDSU merged with the Playthings, Jewelry and Novelty Workers Union and the Distributing, Processing and Office Workers Union. Over the years a number of other unions have also merged with the RWDSU, including AFL founder Sam Gompers' Cigar Makers in 1974. In October, 1993 the RWDSU affiliated with the 1.5 million member United Food and Commercial Workers.
________________________________________________________

Welcome to the D.S.A. [Divided States of America].

:-(

Was quite shocked after reading this. I was under the impression that the Americans would never lt anything like this happen. This is common in dhimmified Europe, but America the strong?

To me, everyone is entitled to practice their religion, but what's the deal with trading in a traditional American custom for a minority's?
I'm so sick and tired of evryone bending over backwards on this subject. I don't see Jews, Hindus, Christians or Buddhists demanding special treatments, and when given not rioting in the streets (remember the Danish cartoons?)

maalstroom wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 4:07pm:

Was quite shocked after reading this. I was under the impression that the Americans would never lt anything like this happen.

What are Americans supposed to do to prevent it from happening? It's a private corporation.

The only way around any or all of this is to stop classifying paid time off (i.e., vacation, floating holiday, personal, etc.). Just call it Paid Time Off and be done with it.

Oh the Hell with it,,,,,,,, I'm not even going to start, I believe everyone knows how i feel!    Tuck

tuck wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2008 at 4:20pm:

Oh the Hell with it,,,,,,,, I'm not even going to start, I believe everyone knows how i feel!    Tuck

Stop being so expressive. It's going to eat you up, man.

I strongly agree with Linda.

BOYCOTT TYSON PRODUCTS!

It's way past time to take a stance on something, for crying out loud.

Make up an e-mail and mail it to all of your friends, asking them to mail to all of their friends, with a copy coming back to you when they do their mailing.

Tell them that something really bad will happen to them within the next few short years if they don't, because that's not a lie....IT WILL!

>:(

Tyson has sold so much chicken that they have become one.  Afraid of backlash?  Well you now have backlash you did not expect.   The rest of America will not tolerate.  Take you chicken plants to Dubai and you don't have to celebrate any American holidays.  And see how much chicken you'll sell to laborers making $4 a day, yes a day!!!  There will never  be a Tyson prodcut in my freezer ever again

i already  boycott tyson. they have so many ways of screwing owner operators (truckers) it's unreal. i don't think their company drivers make any money either. thats a shame. tyson was a good company years ago. hell tom t. hall used to do commercials for them.

What a waste of energy. Frankly, I have zero interest in what people do when not working or if necessay, taking some time off if they're all wrapped up in some kind of religious observance. Fine I guess but don't expect my business to provide a place for prayer or some other thing. It's stuff like that that makes religious zealots too important. Tough luck if your particular "problem" makes you squirm if it's not the center of attention. Leave us alone and don't mess up century old traditions. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGESTART PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Don't bug me Charlie

WSMV; Nashville, TN.
WSMV-TV Channel 4 News

Plant Drops Labor Day For Muslim Holiday
POSTED: 12:18 pm CDT August 1, 2008
UPDATED: 3:06 am CDT August 2, 2008

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From the story/article:

"The decision will only apply to workers at the plant who are union members. All other employees at the plant will still have their normal Labor Day holiday."

If the above is true and I am understanding this statement correctly, this sure smells of an attempt at union busting to me. If you are in the RWDSU, you must abide by this decision...RWDSU members option is to leave the union & then they wouldn't have their Labor Day holiday affected.

---------------------------------------------
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Press Releases

Labor Day Still Recognized at Tyson Foods; Union Contract Provision only at Shelbyville, TN Plant

Springdale, Arkansas -- August 4, 2008

Contrary to recent reports, Labor Day is still a holiday at Tyson Foods.  This issue concerns only the plant at Shelbyville, TN.  The majority of employees at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville, TN, are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Stores Union (RWDSU), an American union that asked for and received Eid al-Fitr, as one of their eight paid holidays, in place of Labor Day.  This applies only to the Shelbyville plant and resulted as part of the union contract negotiated last fall. This change does not apply to Tyson Foods' other 118 plants. This is not a religious accommodation, rather, it is part of a union-initiated contract demand.

This change came about as a result of union demands brought to the negotiating table, and was agreed upon by Tyson in an effort to reach a contractual agreement with the union.  The contract that calls for this change was unanimously recommended by the 12-person union bargaining committee, which included three Somali employees. The contract was then overwhelmingly agreed to by 80 percent of the rank and file membership of the union at the Shelbyville plant.

The Muslim population at the Shelbyville plant is primarily composed of approximately 250 Somali employees, who are political refugees, most of whom came to the plant as a result of refugee resettlement efforts based in Nashville.  They were employed at the plant through the Tennessee Department of Employment Security office.    

The Shelbyville complex employs approximately 1,200 people.  Approximately 1,000 workers are covered by the union agreement at Shelbyville.

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