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Monday, April 20, 2020

NYT Says Immigrants ‘Mourn’ Loss of Deadly, Low-Wage Meatpacking Jobs

Immigrants are “mourning” the loss of low-wage jobs in a Chinese-owned, crowded slaughterhouse run by Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, SD, according to an article in the New York Times.

The main character in the story is an immigrant from Sudan who has worked “11-hour days at Smithfield, six times a week for nearly seven years,” says the April 15 article:

“I can’t wait to go back to work for the simple reason that this is the only thing that supports my family,” said Achut Deng, a Sudanese refugee who in six years worked her way up from a “wizard knife” operator paid $12.75 an hour to a shift lead making $18.70. “I do feel sorry for everyone who is going through this [disease], I feel sorry for myself, but it’s like, I feel better now so I’d rather go back to work.”

The Chinese-owned hog disassembly plant has been shut down indefinitely after 600 workers caught the Chinese coronavirus while working alongside each other.

“Why would lefties be supporting this?” asked Mark Krikorian, the director of the Center for Immigration Studies. “The immigrants are working for low wages in terrible jobs!” The answer is that progressives prefer to pose as the defenders of migrants against claimed threats from ordinary Americans, he said, not from the real economic exploitation by employers.

The article portrays the migrants as suffering heroes, like martyrs, said Ann Corcoran, founder of Refugee Resettlement Watch. “They would never say these things about blacks [who work in slaughterhouses], and they never would say this about white lower-skilled people,” she added.

More here

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

China is Communist but owns and operates businesses in a Capitalist country which tells you all you need to know about Communism

Anonymous said...

I don’t care what a angry Aussie thinks especially one working for Soros.

Anonymous said...


Given the source of the article, it's dripping with condescension.

Six years ago, without prior experience or skills cited, $26,520 for 40 hrs/wk.
Today, 40 hrs is $748/wk, $38.896 annual; with time and a half for the 26 OT hrs she's earning @ $76,819 per year. UFCW dues is about $10/wk, or $520.

In January, 2020 the President of the UFCW local in NC at a similar sized plant pleaded guilty to embezzling $250,000; a bit earlier their Treasurer was convicted of embezzling $62K.

Good to know she values her job and is a contributor. Safe bet that her employer wants her back ASAP also.

Anonymous said...

The Left has warehouses full of smoke and mirrors.

Anonymous said...

Send the Democrats from Congress there to Pack some Meat !!!!!

Anonymous said...


Meatpacking has always been a tough job. 45 yrs. ago we used a packer from Chicago. Most of their workers were Hispanic (Mexican) with very few whites or blacks willing to take the jobs, which paid well at the time.

In the interim plants have been located closer to where the animals are raised.

Anonymous said...

Now you recognize their need

Anonymous said...

Ok so the possibly illegal workers are complaining about illegal conditions and cheap wages but are begging to go back to work becausse they are starting to feel better! So when is the Labor Board of South Dakota going to step up and start in with the fines on Smithfield - which technically goes to fining China who ons the coompany! Major fines and penalties! If they have illegal workers there then bring in INS! Shut it down completely! Clean up this country one way or another!

Anonymous said...

It’s not that it’s hard work as much as it’s more profitable to pay illegals under the table