JBS, Muslims vow harmony

Just a day before the beginning of Ramadan, the holy month of fast and prayer for Muslims, talks between meatplant workers, union representatives and company officials continued in earnest.

The objective: Avoid a repeat of the showdown at sundown that flared at JBS USA meatpacking plants in Greeley and Grand Island, Neb., last September.

During Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat or drink during daylight hours. They break their daily fast after sunset prayers.

Miscommunication about how to handle the religious practices resulted in more than 100 Muslim workers — mostly Somalis, but also other East African refugees who’ve moved to Greeley in recent years — being fired last September for walking off production lines.

Graen Isse, a Somali who helps operate the East Africa Community Center in Greeley, said he thinks conflicts will be avoided this year.

“We have good communication with the company,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to happen. Before, there was no communication at all. The key is communication.”

Unlike last year at this time, JBS has created two prayer rooms for Muslim workers inside the plant — one for men and one for women. Also, the company has installed stations in restrooms that allow workers to thoroughly wash, which is custom before prayers.

Still, some Muslims on the B shift, which runs from late afternoon to late evening and runs into prayers at sundown, have requested a monthlong switch to the daytime A shift to avoid conflicts, Isse said.

“I don’t think they’re going to move 400 workers to A shift,” Isse said of JBS. “It’s hard for them to do.”

Chandler Keys, JBS spokesman, declined to comment on specific proposals being discussed.

“We think we have the right solutions to make sure the plant operates functionally and efficiently, but also trying to accommodate the needs of all the workers going into Ramadan, particularly the Somali workers,” Keys said.

There’s no telling for sure how it will work out until Ramadan begins this weekend, he noted.

“The most important thing right now is to make sure the company and the workers are in sync with one another — and the union, of course,” Keys said.

Similar measures with respect to prayer rooms and wash facilities have been set up In Grand Island, where the company fired 86 workers who walked off the job last September. The tensions in Nebraska played out like they did in Greeley: Scores of Muslim workers initially protested the lack of a prayer break at sunset. The company responded by changing their work schedule to allow an earlier-than-normal break. Non-Muslim workers then counter-protested, saying the Muslims were being given preferential treatment. When management changed the schedule back, Muslim workers again protested and walked out.

Officials with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union said in a statement that if JBS had followed the collective bargaining contract last year, Ramadan prayers wouldn’t have been an issue.

“UFCW Local 7 has told the company that if it wishes to negotiate new contract language in the current collective bargaining agreement, it should make the request in writing so that the workers have time to gather the negotiating committee to bargain,” said Crisanta Duran, the union’s associate legal counsel. “Any changes to the collective bargaining agreement must be voted on by the membership. All employees must be treated equally.”

The logistics of this Ramadan are helped by the fact that sunset occurs later each evening during the month, coinciding better with the regular “lunch” breaks for B-shift workers. Ramadan’s holy month changes each year, following the Muslim lunar calendar. Last year, Ramadan occurred in September, resulting in earlier sunsets.

Isse said the East Africa Community Center hopes to organize a celebration to mark the end of Ramadan, around Sept. 22. The event would likely take place in Lincoln Park and be open to the entire community.

He said some members of various local churches have visited the center in recent days offering food and other donations to help the Muslims during the holy month.

“There’s a lot of nice people out there in the community,” Isse said.

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