Labor

Palauan Minister: Postville workers are benefit to Palau’s economy

Temmy Shmull, the Republic of Palau’s minister of state, is in favor of sending an additional 150 of his countrymen to work at Agriprocessors in Postville, but says the final decision has yet to be made.
Schmull, who represented the country’s outgoing president at the United Nations in New York, took an alternative path back to [...]

Judge agrees Labor Department should depose former Agriprocessors employees

Nine former Agriprocessors employees that were swept up during a massive May immigration raid at the plant and are now in a federal penitentiary will be interviewed by the U.S. Department of Labor prior to their deportation.

Postville’s economy in flux

More storefronts are empty now in downtown Postville than they were four months ago when federal immigration enforcement agents raided the large Agriprocessors Inc. meatpacking plant in town. But that’s only part of the story when it comes to the town’s economy.

Braley takes aim at federal child labor penalties after Agriprocessors charges

Charges of state child labor law violations at Agriprocessors have prompted a member of Iowa’s congressional delegation to propose new federal legislation that would increase penalties against offending companies.

Agriprocessors charged with over 9,000 child labor law violations

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has filed a criminal complaint and affidavit today in Allamakee County District Court listing more than 9,000 alleged violations of Iowa child labor laws at Agriprocessors in Postville.

Search warrant executed at Agriprocessors

Staff in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office have confirmed that investigators executed a search warrant at Agriprocessors this morning, but they provided few other details.

Culver compares Agriprocessors to Sinclair’s jungle, outlines state response

Comparing the situation at Agriprocessors with novelist Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” and implying that management at the kosher plant have opted to travel a ‘low road,’ Gov. Chet Culver outlined his response and continued action in relation to the plant.

Agriprocessors cited for 31 safety violations

Management at Agriprocessors has 15 days to formally respond to an accusation issued today by the Iowa Division of Labor Services that documents 31 new and repeat safety violations.

Situation at Agriprocessors ‘off limits to outside scrutiny’ says Rabbi

“As the supervising rabbi for all glatt kosher meat and strictly kosher poultry at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, I am responsible for the well-being of the slaughterers (shochtim) and supervising (mashgichim) rabbis,” said Weissmandl in an e-mail to Iowa Independent on Thursday. “To protect the integrity of the kashruth, their relationship is strictly with us. Under no circumstances can we permit that this relationship be compromised and thus is off limits to outside scrutiny, as is prescribed by Jewish law.”

Agriprocessors ‘categorically denies’ child labor charges

A spokesman for Agriprocessors, the largest kosher meatpacking plant in the nation and Postville’s largest employer, is firing back at Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil for Tuesday’s “inflammatory” remarks.