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Workers Walk Out In Response To Earlier Muslim Protests
About 400 workers walked off the job Wednesday at JBS Swift in Grand Island. But this time it wasn't Muslims protesting for prayer like the last two days.Hispanic, white, and Sudanese JBS Swift workers watched their Muslim peers walk out on work. Now they say, it's their turn. "Two days they haven't came to work. Everybody's saying they got paid. OK, how about they work without us or minorities and they work there by themselves and we get paid for not doing nothing? That's not fair," said Veronica Yabra, a JBS Swift employee. Union leaders say Muslims did not get paid after they walked out, but the rumors were enough to spark the protest. Protesters are also upset about a break that has been moved on B shift to accommodate prayer time, they say, cutting their hours and forcing them to work on Saturday to get 40 hours a week. "We don't need to work 7.7 hours. We need to go 8.2 hours," said JBS Swift employee Maria Yabra. Employee Doug Brandt added, "We shouldn't have to take money out of our pockets and time away from our families so they can get their way. They should be like everybody else." And they say, everybody should have the same rules. "I understand they want to stick up for themselves. That's their right in America, but you have to remember this is America. It's equal playing field. Equal. And the company's not making us equal," said employee Nabomi Jakubowski. "If you're going to accommodate them and their religion, you have to accommodate everybody's religion," said Brandt. Swift executives appeared to the crowd, and union leaders say talks between all parties will continue. The protest comes just two days after about 400 Muslim Somalians walked off the job. Another thirty protested Tuesday in an effort to gain a break during their sunset prayer time for Ramadan. Posted by: Cromert 2008-09-18 |
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