Iowa Guv Blasts "Jungle" Meatpacking Plant

Plant, Raided By Immigration Enforcement In May, Now Accused Of Child Labor Violations

(AP)  Iowa Gov. Chet Culver denounced a kosher meatpacking plant accused of child labor violations, echoing Upton Sinclair's disdain of cruelty toward immigrants.

The governor wrote a guest column in the Des Moines Sunday Register that criticized Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville for allegedly employing dozens of underage workers and taking advantage of a failed federal immigration system.

"In doing so, this company has fallen far short of meeting the high business standards that Iowans expect," Culver said.

Culver closed his commentary with a reference to the 1906 muckraking Sinclair novel, "The Jungle," about the horrors of the early meatpacking industry.

"There will be no industrial 'jungles' in Iowa on my watch," Culver wrote.

In May, the largest single-site immigration raid in U.S. history led to the arrest of 389 people at the plant. Hundreds of line workers have been convicted and charges have been filed against two low-level supervisors, but the plant's owners haven't faced any charges connected to the raid, Culver noted.

The Iowa Division of Labor Services this month accused Agriprocessors of employing dozens of underage workers.

In a written statement, Chaim Abrahams, a manager at Agriprocessors, said the company has provided jobs to hundreds of people and stimulated growth in Postville and throughout the state for two decades.

Abrahams invited Culver to visit the plant, meet with its leadership and "see the truth firsthand."

"In the end, we are certain that the Governor will see firsthand that our plant is anything but a 'jungle' and that when all the bitterness of the last few months is taken out of the equation, that we are indeed on a course to being on an even higher road," Abrahams said in the statement.

Culver's office on Monday said the governor decided not to visit the Postville plant at this time.

Abrahams said that the company's policy is not to hire underage workers, and that if it finds any, they are immediately dismissed. He noted that the company has hired a former U.S. attorney as a compliance officer, and a former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official to monitor federal and state safety requirements.

When asked why Culver decided to write a guest column in the state's largest newspaper, spokesman Troy Price said the governor was concerned about Agriprocessors' alleged actions.

"All Iowans, not just those who work within his administration, have a right to know the level of the governor's concerns and the fact that their government is acting responsibly in response to the disturbing reports," Price said Monday.

[c-mo6]

Obama''''s DNC Message: I''''m Like You
CBSNews.com Reports: Democrats To Push Obama%u2019s Similarities With Average Americans

rightttttttttttttt

HUSSEIN puts foreigns ahead of americans,,,

how many non-muslim americans have a syrian born muslim tony rezko helping you buy a multi million dollar house???

how many non-muslim americans travelled to pakistan for spring break???

how many non-muslim americans say the muslim call to prayer is the prettiests sounds on earth at sunset???

how many americans want to have to learn spanish???

how many americans want to give tens of millions of illegals amnesty???

how many americans want open borders???

how many americans want to send one trillion of their taxpayer dollars to kenya???

how many americans want to spend their taxpayer dollars on slavery reparations when they already paid via the civil war with their blood???

hmmmmm manchurian candidate maybe,,, hmmmm



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Posted by trrrorislam3 at 10:40 AM : Aug 26, 2008
+ report abuse

YAWN

[babooph]

Have those Peta nuts film the Kosher death of the animals-which whine will prevail !!

[patriot12436]

toldyouso
You didn''t really thiunk the governor would do anything to jeppardize his pay off money did you ?

[toldyouso12]

ts sad to see that these immigrants are being mistreated, but at the same time we have taken our attention away from the other problems facing employees. Iowa needs better laws protecting employees from immoral employers with strict enforcement. We can thank some of our Republicans for the laws giving business all the say and giving the poor individuals working for them nothing.

Posted by iowasux2 at 01:23 AM : Aug 26, 2008


That''s what unions were originally designed for--to protect the workers as a group from unscrupulous employers. But years of brainwashing by businesses have convinced the public that unions are only corrupt, evil and run by gangsters--so now the only thing standing between a decent paycheck and safety and the profits are the whims of the owners and their investors. Right back atcha.

[toldyouso12]

"Abrahams said that the company''s policy is not to hire underage workers, and that if it finds any, they are immediately dismissed. He noted that the company has hired a former U.S. attorney as a compliance officer, and a former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official to monitor federal and state safety requirements."

What? Is it their policy to hire illegal immigrants? And when they tell them where to buy their forged Birth Certificates and SS #s do they tell them to just up Juan''s age a little?

Funny how the governor has so little power that he writes an op ed piece like an ordinary citizen instead of doing the right thing and have his AG close that business down for massive abuse of immigration statutes. What a joke.

[slim1h2o]

i''''''''m a cardiologist :)
Posted by sociald63 at 11:26 AM


Sure you are.





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Posted by rushlimpdrug at 12:47 PM : Aug 26, 2008

I think he meant that he liked to play cards. LOL

[trrrorislam3]

HEY HUSSEIN,,, SUPPORT SENATE RESOLUTION 636

Vets for Freedom

Senate Resolution 636
a bi-partisan resolution in the United State Senate sponsored by Senators Lieberman and Graham.
http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/

Remember Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0

Honor Our Troops
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmD70dzj-VY

[rushlimpdrug]

i''''m a cardiologist :)
Posted by sociald63 at 11:26 AM


Sure you are.

[rushlimpdrug]

This is kosher for jews.

[jntlw-2009]

The owners of the plant knew full well what they were doing and had no problem until they got caught. So far only the illegals have been charged with anything. Time for big business to get charged and shut down. I applaud Govenor Culver for speaking out and saying "no jungle on my watch". No state should allow such medevil working conditions and underage people to work this way. People wonder why unions came into being - because of slime ball owners who care not for the workers or the hours or the working conditions. All those owners see is slave labor and profit. That is why we need unions again I''m afraid. If they treated employess like people you would not need unions. That is just the way things work.

[trrrorislam3]

Posted by walt1944 at 11:23 AM : Aug 26, 2008

VOTE GOP,,, BLOCK AMNESTY,,,

ummmm it is the DEMONIC-RATS that want to grant amnesty to illegals,,, including HUSSEIN,,,

HUSSEINs solution for illegals is to grant them amnesty and have americans learn SPANISH,,,

words out of his own mouth,,,

Barack Obama: Your Children Should Learn To Speak Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
BZprtPat1Vk

Obama to America--Learn Spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
3W7srmHLclw

[staciern]

What is a shame here is that this is a religious company. How can they strive to keep Kosher but not abide by the other principles in Torah? Why are the Rabbi''s not speaking out against this company?

[staciern]

What is a shame here is that this is a religious company. How can they strive to keep Kosher but not abide by the other principles in Torah? Why are the Rabbi''s not speaking out against this company?

[sociald63]

quit whining, people - i did warehouse work when i was 14. work and study hard and look at me now - i''m a cardiologist :)

[walt1944-2009]

The real culprit in this story, as it always is, is BIG BUSINESS and the neocon Fascist Nazis in power who allow businesses to get away with this stuff.

The business attitude today is EVERYTHING is legal, unless you get caught, and even then, it''s not the owners who pay even though they make the decisions, its the people who worked for them who do! The Bush administration has fostered this idea, thanks to "plausible denial" and making both themselves and the rich believe that because of WHO THEY ARE THEY ARE ABOVE THE LAW!

The Nazis in Germany in the 1930''s and 40''s had the same wrapped thinking. Thanks to that thinking, they destroyed Europe and they ended up either in jail or hanging for it.

To me, it''s a big contradiction for a political party that supposedly champions pro-life, and yet is so willing to turn a blind eye to how bad they have made life for the living!!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!
sig heil, ABSOLUTELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!

[trrrorislam3]

Obama''s DNC Message: I''m Like You
CBSNews.com Reports: Democrats To Push Obama%u2019s Similarities With Average Americans

rightttttttttttttt

HUSSEIN puts foreigns ahead of americans,,,

how many non-muslim americans have a syrian born muslim tony rezko helping you buy a multi million dollar house???

how many non-muslim americans travelled to pakistan for spring break???

how many non-muslim americans say the muslim call to prayer is the prettiests sounds on earth at sunset???

how many americans want to have to learn spanish???

how many americans want to give tens of millions of illegals amnesty???

how many americans want open borders???

how many americans want to send one trillion of their taxpayer dollars to kenya???

how many americans want to spend their taxpayer dollars on slavery reparations when they already paid via the civil war with their blood???

hmmmmm manchurian candidate maybe,,, hmmmm

[slim1h2o]

The governor wrote a guest column in the Des Moines Sunday Register that criticized Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville for allegedly employing dozens of underage workers and taking advantage of a failed federal immigration system.


Is there a better reason "not" to boycott these slugs of a company?

[slim1h2o]

"In doing so, this company has fallen far short of meeting the high business standards that Iowans expect," Culver said.

Hate to tell ya this Gov, but the rest of the country demands, and expects better business practices than this also.

Not just Iowians.

[timothyone-2009]

GO DEMOCRATS!!
This man is a DEMOCRAT! And the kind of DEMOCRAT it''s going to take to restore America to it''s place of respect in the world.
The GOP took away our self-respect by replacing it with greed and fear. Restoring America''s self-respect must now be the first step in rebuilding our once great country.
GO DEMOCRATS!!!

[Netterz]

Owners and employers like this are the reason for the HUGE immigration problem. I dont care WHAT they pay them, the point remains, that they pay these people to commit crime against America. Making them ''legal'' does not, and will not correct the problem. Forcing these owners, corporations, to be accountable. Dont blame the GOP alone, we have been living under a democratically dominant America for awhile now. I dont care, blue, red, or neutral, they have allowed this for many, many years. If they are an elected official? There guilty.