Reasonable and practical accommodation -- but here again, when Islamic practices and American practices conflict, the American practices have to be the ones that give way. As this continues, it will cause increasing tension in the workplace and in society at large.
"Somalis win prayer case at Gold'n Plump: The agreement to permit short prayer breaks and accommodate rules against handling pork could set a precedent," by Chris Serres for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, September 10 (thanks to all who sent this in):
In a landmark settlement that could change the way Muslims are treated in the workplace, St. Cloud-based Gold'n Plump Inc. has agreed to allow Somali workers short prayer breaks and the right to refuse handling pork at its poultry processing facilities.The federally mediated agreement is among the first in the nation that requires employers to accommodate the Islamic prayer schedule and the belief, held by many strict Muslims, that the Qur'an prohibits the touching and eating of pork products.
"For this group of Americans at this time in our nation's history, this is a very important outcome," said Joe Snodgrass, a St. Paul attorney who represented workers in the case.
The agreement follows a year-long examination by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a class-action lawsuit brought in October 2006 on behalf of nine Somali immigrants who worked at Gold'n Plump's poultry processing plants in Cold Spring, Minn., and Arcadia, Wis.
An EEOC attorney said both sides have reached a settlement in principle.
The settlement will include an undisclosed sum of money for some employees; and some workers may receive new offers of employment at Gold'n Plump.
[...]
The Work Connection, an employment agency based in St. Paul that hired workers for Gold'n Plump's plants in Cold Spring and Arcadia, was accused in the class-action lawsuit of requiring Muslim applicants for work to sign a "pork acknowledgement form," in which they agreed to handle pork products. It was alleged in the complaint that Somali workers who did not sign the document were not hired.
[...]
Snodgrass, the attorney representing the nine Somali workers, said there is some flexibility within the Islamic prayer schedule. In some cases, the windows for praying can extend several hours; and frequently the prayers last no longer than a bathroom break. He noted that the United States legal system has long accommodated the demands of Christians.
"There is a reason why your children have never gone to school on Christmas or Easter, and yet Muslim children go to school on the final day of Ramadan," said Snodgrass. "What this case does is highlight that, for a minority, no matter how unpopular or popular they are, there has to be accommodations if they are reasonable and practical."
No hat tip?
CGW
Oh, I see. More than just me.
Sorry!
Wow!
This is terrible. The only silver lining is that as a federal mediated agreement, the decision does not have the clout of law or a court ruling. But clearly, we are heading down the wrong road, which I am sure the stealth jihadists will try to exacerbate at every turn.
This really eats at my craw. I am in almost utter disbelief at how stupid we are.
I guess I can't yell over to the British any more, and ask them "What the hell are you guys thinking with your sharia courts?" ... when I half expect sharia courts to start popping up over here.
but here again, when Islamic practices and American practices conflict, the American practices have to be the ones that give way. As this continues, it will cause increasing tension in the workplace and in society at large.
WRONG! Americans will be sued into silence and shariah will win in the courts as more and more islamic justices serve on the bench!
The lawyer should be branded a traitor. Right on his forehead for all the world to see.
This sickens me.
Joe Snodgrass is apparently well-pleased with himself. He doesn't see -- how can he, under the current circumstances? -- the ways in which seemingly innocuous demands, if met, add up little by little to the kind of accommodation that is regarded not by those doing the accommodating, but by those insisting on it, as victories in the never-ending campaign to remove all obstacles to the spread, and then at a later date, the dominance, of Islam. If he, and if his partners at Larson King fail to see the larger picture, in time they will regret putting their skills and knowledge to such use.
For now, it is "well done, thou good and faithful servant." But those who come to their senses, those who start to study, will regret their unwitting collaboration.
Meanwhile, those distinctly unimpressed with this performance might think, in choosing a lawyer for tort litigation in Minnesota, choose -- for other reasons -- to go elsewhere than to Joe Snodgrass or to the firm (despite its "six super-lawyers") that employs him.
At this point, only the fact or threat of losing business is likely to get the attention of senior partners. Appeals to common sense, to morality, to an understanding of why this case is quite different from other "reasonable accommodation" cases because Islam is not only, and not mainly, a religion but rather a Total Belief-System, with a politics and geopolitics that rests completely on the notion of a division between Believer and Infidel, and of the divine right of Islam to dominate, and Muslims to rule over non-Muslims. Why is it so hard to learn this? Why is it so hard to make logical sense of it, and to apply this understanding to all the dots that need connecting around the world? Why do some think they can continue to benefit, personally -- see the Army of Hirelings of Saudi Arabia all over the Western world -- as Joe Snodgrass has, and is proud of himself, too, for his victory, for what he sees, narrowly or blinkeredly or blindly, as a victory for common sense and American justice. If he knew more, if he understood more, if he had a perspective other than that of the tort lawyer intent on immmediate victory, he might think differently.
Why must "there has (sic) to be accommodations" to every minority, "no matter how unpopular"? And "...the demands of Christians"? What demands is this attorney talking about? Christians never DEMANDED that this nation allow them to take off Christmas and Easter. In fact, Christians never demand anything, something that will have to change if we're ever going to keep this country from becoming, as Abdurahman Alamoudi dreamed, "a Muslim nation."
first time there was Tennessee.
second time there was Colorado.
this time its Minnesota and Wisconsin.
its gonna get worse and worse.
And who threw the gates open to Muslim immigration? The God-accursed James A. Baker the 3rd, damn him to Hell. He is an ultimate American sociopath and was the head of the evil puppeteers jerking the strings of our dummy-in-chief Ronald Reagan, turning the dummy against Israel and aiding the Global Jihad. The sociopath exercised even greater control over George H.W. Bush. This was a pathological homoerotic relationship, a two-person cult, with Baker being the cult leader and Bush totally devout cultist literally worshiping Baker, which he still does. In 1990, Baker introduced the so-called "diversity visas" designed to greatly expand the Muslim influx from the areas of the heaviest jihadist infestation: Iran, Lebanon, West Bank, Gaza, Egypt, Pakistan. Great evil had arisen in 1990 which impacts this country to this day, threatening its very survival. More than any other person, Baker is responsible for the Eurabisation of this country. And for the great evil Baker did unto both Israel and our own country, he was richly rewarded by his Arab masters. I am no fan of Michael More, but it is worth watching his movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" to learn about the grand prizes awarded for treason in this country to Baker and other Islamist hirelings.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
Pathetic. You work in a plant that handles pork products, you handle pork products. Sheesh. Well as a Catholic I want Ash Wednesday off. Also I want the Feast of St. Ignatius, St. Anne, St. Dominic, and St. James off. I also want a bowl with Holy Water provided. More demands to follow.
Normally I would hold my breath until I get what I wanted, but something tells me not to this time. Can't quite place my finger on that reason, but the feeling is there that holding my breath would not be a good move.
Greetings:
First, they came for the prayer breaks;
Then, they came for the foot baths;
Next, they came for a prayer room;
Then they privatized the prayer room;
Then, they wanted halal foods;
Then they wanted no haram foods;
Then they wanted no haram fools.
This is another great story from the age of the tyranny of the minorities. Back in my Psychology studying days, there were some interesting readings in Group Dynamics about the ability of "determined minorities" to impose their will(s) on majority populations most often with disastrous results.
What we need is a nice little New York shyster who, when he finishes suing his mother, will find a client who will sue the company for creating a "hostile work environment" by establishing the Muslim "religion" in the work place. I would love to see how the Federal Government would deal with those Islamic "scriptures" that USC forced the MSA to remove from its web site.
"There is a reason why your children have never gone to school on Christmas or Easter, and yet Muslim children go to school on the final day of Ramadan," said Snodgrass.
Yep.
It's called being in a Christian country!
He noted that the United States legal system has long accommodated the demands of Christians.
Well DUH!!! It was Christians that made the legal system, wrote the constitution, pioneered the country.
It's a CHRISTIAN country!!
IDIOT.
This is wrong in so many ways on so many different levels I hardly know what to say.
Among other things an employer has the right to set rules on jobs and employees.
One always has the option of working elsewhere if the requirements of a job are disagreeable, nobody is being forced -- except in this case, the employer.
Our rights are under attack from so many sides at once it is bewildering.
I'm starting to think that the better formulation to replace the lame and distracting "War on Terror" phrase would be something like the "War for Human Freedom" or the "War for Human Rights", or something along those lines.
Let's start getting this on our winning ground.
We know what rights are. And we know that people will fight for their rights.
And that is what we are fighting for.
Let's start moving the discussion to the issue of what people's rights are and what they are fighting for.
So if they hire a muslim, he/she will be less useful as a worker than a non-muslim who doesn't need special breaks and can do jobs that include working with pork. But they get paid the same $/hr.
The mediator has mandated that it is wiser to hire a non-muslim! Who's going to hire a muslim now?
Just sent this to
consumer@goldnplump.com
dzapzalka@goldnplump.com
jberling@goldnplump.com
tradecustomer@goldnplump.com
You all should do the same, and really send to everyone you know. We need to unite & stand up for American values.
"Gold'n Plump:
I am very disappointed to learn of your recent accommodation of a religious class. It may seem like no big deal, but it is. Immigrants need to adopt American values. I will no longer purchase Gold'n Plump products and I am going to send a note to everyone I know to do the same. I am very sorry it has to be like this."
muslims' Refusal to handle Pork is blatant Porkism. Is it not?
They have overstepped, this time.
Wouldn't a "good" Muslim refuse to take a job where he "may" have to handle pork? If I were totally against handling pork then I wouldn't even apply for the job. Common sense? Or do they do this on purpose to create problems or circumvent the system? If I was an employer I wouldn't hire them at all. And I don't think that's a problem if it's MY money, and MY company, I can hire who I want.
Here's what the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has to say about religious discrimination in the workplace. It isn't pretty, and I'd hate to be in the shoes of a Swift or a Gold'n Plump right now.
EEOC Questions and Answers about Religious Discrimination on the Worplace:
http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/qanda_religion.html.
The EEOC's Compliance Manual Section on Religious Discrimination
http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/religion.html.
That's it! Here is my plan:
If you SUPPORT Sharia Law - which is at odds with the Bill of Rights - you have your CITIZENSHIP revoked and you are free to LEAVE this country and go to any number of places that practice Sharia Law.
This is absolute, excuse me, B.S. period! I don't go asking for "Rosary Breaks," or any other such prayer time requests.
This burns me up! I hope these companies fail utterly.
Notice that all of these strikes, walk-offs, and general all around pain in the assness involves Somali Muslims. Thanks Clinton.
They could all move back to that hole of a country they help create, make us all happy and be halal to their miserable hearts' content.
Here's an idea....send the somalie's back home & then they can choose to work & pray when they desire.
If immigrants want to come to the USA....they must adapt to our way of life & NOT the other way around.
Being politically correct has gone to far. Where is the USA backbone of the '40's/'50's? Have we grown so fat & weak that we are now targets? Time get mean & lean again. Start pushing back.
ISLAM IS A total POLITICAL DOCTRINE & does not get or should ever get any legal rights here in the USA.
With the submission & backwards way of life in Islamic countries, you can see why they are rushing to Western Open free societies....but it appears we are only getting the STUPID ones that now want to duplicate the ways from home! If you think it's so great....GO HOME!
So make sure pork is handled EVERYWHERE, and that will mean Muslims will not be able to work ANYWHERE.
It would be a good thing to separate the pork meat processing plants from the rest of the meat processing plants that are contaminated with low hygiene standards Muslim workers. And since Muslims refuse to handle pork meat and we (Americans) refuse to trust the Muslims with our pork meat, this would be a perfect world.
Some of us who are refusing to consume meat and poultry not trusting who could have contaminated it can be assured that pork would 100% Muslim free.
We can trust the pork meat and use it as a substitute to the contaminated beef and poultry where Muslims love to stick their hands.
We can insure that Muslims can never contaminate pork meat as we can no longer trust beef and poultry being processed by Muslims. Now more than ever, I trust the Chinese imported meat and poultry and would be willing to pay three times more for the Chinese imported meat and poultry.
look for Kosher meat or import from Mexico or China if you want your meat to be Muslim contamination free.
look for Kosher meat or import from Mexico or China if you want your meat to be Muslim contamination free.
Posted by: American
Or do like I do, and grow your own.
No hormones, no questionable feed, no muslim processing.