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We Surround Rochester
Aug 28, 2010, Washington DC
From: Stuck On Stupid Blog
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a union that endorses Barack Obama in his 2008 Presidential candidacy, has negotiated with Tyson Foods recognize a Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr instead of the traditional American Labor Day holiday.
Employees are not happy with this stunt.
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.
From The Shelbyville Times:
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.
…
From The UFCW website (6/10/08):
UFCW President Joe Hansen spoke with the RWDSU Executive Board at a meeting in Washington, D.C., this morning, discussing the importance of electing Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential election, the upcoming UFCW convention in Montreal, and the issue of immigration reform.
At the meeting, the RWDSU Executive Board endorsed Obama for U.S. president, and also heard from guest speakers Congressman Steve Israel (D – NY) and Congressman Anthony D. Weiner (D – NY).
Tyson should not have sacrificed a traditional American holiday for this Muslim recognized Ramadan holiday.
All POW-MIA
17 responses so far ↓
1 phantomlord // Aug 3, 2008 at 12:25 pm
The funny part is the union negotiated away the holiday that was created to honor unions and the labor movement. Gotta love it.
2 rochester_veteran // Aug 3, 2008 at 4:13 pm
PL,
Yes, it is quite ironic what the Union did. I’m wondering what the rank and file is going to do about it…
3 TCB // Aug 3, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The Union body needs to remove their “leadership”. It would be one thing to get an additional paid holiday but to swap the one already in the contract that has the purpose of recognizing and celebrating the union movement is preposterous and ignorant. Tolerance is one thing, this is something totally different.
PL….”Gotta love it.” ??
Absolutely NOT !!! The existing union has the strength to correct this immediately. Perhaps a change in affiliation is in order.
4 phantomlord // Aug 3, 2008 at 5:26 pm
PL….”Gotta love it.” ??
Absolutely NOT !!! The existing union has the strength to correct this immediately. Perhaps a change in affiliation is in order.
I was referring to the irony of the union canceling the holiday celebrating unions in favor of some PC holiday to satisfy muslims.
It just goes to show what unions have been about for decades now… they exist for the benefit of the union leadership rather than the rank and file. How many unions have leadership who actually rose from the rank and file rather than going to law school to act as the new boss, same as the old boss?
5 Irish // Aug 3, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I, for one, will be sending this to many many people, and they, in turn, will send…on and on and on. From now on, I will refuse to buy Tyson products of any kind. It not be much of a boycott on my part, but I am sure that others will agree with me and do their part.
Since when does “politically correct” mean abandoning our heritage so that one interest group can be apeased?
I am thoroughly disguted.
6 TCB // Aug 3, 2008 at 7:30 pm
PL…I thoroughlyunderstand your irony comment. I just meant….DON”T stand for it. DON’T allow it. It was a “Call to arms”.
I will be bringing this to my local union’s attention and insisting that it is passed up the chain.
I’m a middle of the road union member as well as a registered Republican, so if this pisses me off, then every union member could conceivably share my point of view. I’m able to look at both sides of the coin and this is crap no matter what your political affiliation.
7 MRB // Aug 3, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Well so much for the unions standing up for the workers!!!! We pay our dues for what? Does the term Democracy mean anything anymore? I find it hard to believe the Tyson employees all voted yes to this change in contract!!! I gotta call bullshit!!!! Here’s an idea…you want a Muslim paid holiday? Great! Add it don’t substitute! But be prepared because there will be another sect demanding fairness! So while the Muslims have it now it won’t be for long! Who’s next????
8 diogenes // Aug 3, 2008 at 9:49 pm
C’mon, most of you guys are phonier than a 3 dollar bill with McCain’s picture on it.
Virtually NONE of you would have anything good to say about unions or Labor Day.
If you read the article from Shelbyville and do the math, you’d see that almost 60%of the workers at that plant are Muslim. So the union and management were acceeding to their wishes. It’s not a nationwide deal.
As to what sect is next? Hmmmm…. how about Christianity? Oh wait, that’s right: EVERYBODY gets Christmas off, whether they be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Wiccan, or atheist.
Try toning down the anti-Muslim sentiment, OK? America is a big country. We’ll survive this calamity!
9 phantomlord // Aug 3, 2008 at 10:03 pm
“C’mon, most of you guys are phonier than a 3 dollar bill with McCain’s picture on it.”
The one with none of the Presidents that look like Obama? I mean, ignoring that the guys on the $10 and $100 were never Presidents.
“As to what sect is next? Hmmmm…. how about Christianity? Oh wait, that’s right: EVERYBODY gets Christmas off, whether they be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Wiccan, or atheist.”
And a lot of people who aren’t Christians celebrate Christmas. I’m an atheist and I’ve never failed to celebrate it. Granted, it isn’t a religious holiday to me, it’s a time to gather with friends and family to express how important they are in your life. Something that is good for anyone to do, regardless of what religion (or lack thereof) they subscribe to. In fact, many hardcore Christians have become irked that one of their key holidays has become so secularized.
How many Muslims are there working for Tyson? How many Americans overall celebrate Eid al-Fitr? Should we make a national holiday for every minority religious holiday out there?
“Try toning down the anti-Muslim sentiment, OK? America is a big country. We’ll survive this calamity!”
No anti-Muslim sentiments were expressed in this article or the comments posted thus far. The only discussion of anything Islamic was to say that Labor Day was being replaced by a celebration of a Muslim holiday instead. Is this like how any criticism of Obama, regardless of its nature, is automatically racist?
10 diogenes // Aug 3, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Almost 60% of the Tyson employees at this particular site are Muslim. The holiday only applies to that plant.
If this has nothing to do with anti-Muslim sentiments, what, then, is the issue? Are you staunch NY Conservatives actually bemoaning the desecration of Labor Day?!?!? Sorry, the issue for most, if not all, of you is crystal clear.
And why does this have anything to do with Obama? He’s not Muslim, he doesn’t work for Tyson Foods, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s never even been to Shelbyville, TN. (Shelbyville is best known for Tennessee Walking Horses, Tyson Foods and, apparently, Muslim “terrorists”.)
11 phantomlord // Aug 3, 2008 at 10:49 pm
http://www.t-g.com/story/1449487.html
“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.”
From that pretty vague statement, it would seem as though there are 700 Muslim employees working throughout all of Tyson while only 20% of the employees at this particular plant are.
Your citation that 60% of the employees at this plant are Muslim?
“If this has nothing to do with anti-Muslim sentiments, what, then, is the issue? Are you staunch NY Conservatives actually bemoaning the desecration of Labor Day?!?!?”
The irony of a labor union negotiating away their labor day holiday? I’m openly anti-modern day union, especially government employee unions, and I’ve never hidden that… but those views are separate from the irony in what the union has done. It would be like the VFW wanting to promote Halloween instead of Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day.
“And why does this have anything to do with Obama?”
1) The same union recently endorsed Obama http://www.rwdsu.info/en/archives/6/ufcw-president-joe-hansen-addresses-rwdsu-exec-board-61008.html
2) You brought up phony bills and I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to laugh at the latest display of Obama’s ignorance of American history when he proclaimed that he looked different from all the Presidents on the dollar bills. Apparently, he thinks Hamilton and Franklin were Presidents.
3) Your proclamation that this post is anti-Muslim is directly from the same playbook that any criticism of Obama has to be racist. I’m not voting for him because he’s an unqualified, ignorant Marxist, I’m “not voting for him because his skin is darker than mine.” By the same token, I’m obviously “anti-Muslim” because I commented on a story about a union canceling Labor Day.
12 TCB // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:02 pm
PL …..Well said !!!
13 TCB // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Oh gee, by the way, I’m Agnostic to boot.
So don’t accuse me of being anti-muslim .
You can certainly classify me as anti-extremist
14 rochester_veteran // Aug 4, 2008 at 1:51 pm
It is possible to speak of political correctness and the favoring of one faith over another without being “anti” about it. Nobody spoke badly of Muslims or their faith in the article or this comment’s tread.
BTW, although I’m a Catholic and there’s many faith-based folks who read and participate here, no way would we exclude Atheists and Agnostics from participating here. What it comes down to is respecting each other. phantomlord and I became friends because we share similar conservative political views and we’re respectful of each other in the matter of faith or no faith. I don’t try to convert phantomlord and he doesn’t slam my Catholic Faith.
15 phantomlord // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:12 pm
The only “religion” I mock is Scientology because the entire thing was created and documented in our lifetimes to be such an utter crock.
I’m not out to bash any religion nor its members. I might point out where certain people have gone wrong, such as radical Islamists that seek to blow up anyone who doesn’t follow their sect, pederast priests in the Catholic church, etc… but I’ll never question anyone’s faith and try to force them to believe something different.
Ultimately, the goal of most organized religions is to teach us how to make a better society for and with each other and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Just because I don’t believe in an omnipotent, omniscient deity doesn’t mean I can’t follow the golden rule. Of course, I expect others to follow the same rule as well. Regardless of what beliefs we adhere to, I can think of something in pretty much every religion that we could all learn a little something from (yeah, even Scientology).
16 Leavingroch // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:35 am
PL, you are great…. you couldn’t have said it any better.
17 phantomlord // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:46 am
Careful LR… that might go to my head.
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