Somali Muslim Refugee Workers and American Workers Fight

[WryBread]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...-workers_N.htm

Interesting. People come here as refugees ....

In the posts beneath this article there is a long post stating that the non-Muslim workers were forced to cover the Muslim's jobs during this sunset break, so worked 4 to 5 hours without relief so the Muslims would pray. There was an attempt to fix this and it led to this situation of conflict.

Interestingly, the article also says only the sunset prayer time cannot be shifted -- I wonder if this is only during Ramadan. There's another thread in this forum in which I posted an answer from the About.com's Islam Guide and she said the prayer times were flexible, but prayers had to be made up in the proper order.

My opinion is that if your religion restricts your work, you need to get a job that accommodates your religion.

[Athena]

This is the part I disagree with:

Hooper said CAIR attorneys in Chicago are now involved as mediators, and may pursue legal action if religious accommodations are denied.

That's bullshit. If a company wants to accommodate, that's great. But if they don't, they shouldn't be forced to.

[Gilbrit]

The Muslim workers may find that not only do they not have a law suit but may also find themselves out of a job.

The workers may not be fired for religious reasons. Under the At-will Employment Doctrine, simple down sizing can remove them permanently.

At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an employment relationship in which either party can break the relationship with no liability provided there was no express contract for a definite term governing the employment relationship and that the employer does not belong to a collective bargain (i.e. a union). Under this legal doctrine:
“ any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work.[1] ”
Several exceptions to the doctrine exist, especially if unlawful discrimination is involved regarding the termination of an employee.

At-will Employment

[HijabiGirl]

This article confuses me a bit. Basically the lunch period was moved forward an hour so the Muslims could break fast at the proper time. (this is something we cannot delay during Ramadan) I don't see anything about the co-workers working unassisted for 4-5 hours without the Muslims. Basically during Ramadaan we MUST break fast right at the moment evening prayer begins.

After we break fast we have about an hour and a half to pray Mahgrib (evening prayer). Like I said before, if we miss prayer because of something beyond our control we can make them up, but we are not permitted to just skip the prayers and stock up everyday. If a job requires you to skip prayer and make up everyday, you should find a new job as your obediance to God overrides your obediance to the clock at work. The prayer is only 5-10 minutes (depending on how fast you recite and if you want to do the "extra" prayers).

So what appears to have happened is they moved the lunch hour to 8 pm as opposed to 9 pm (this must be the night shift or something) and the non-muslim workers had an issue with this. Not sure why such a mountain is being made out of a molehill on this one.

[WryBread]

Look in the posts below the article and you will see a long post that says the non-Muslim workers were required to cover for the Muslims. It cites another article on the event.

"Omar2 wrote: 7h ago
This story is extremely one sided. It neglects to mention that the conflict arose because the company originally accommodated the muslims' demand to break early for Ramadan - but, as is inevitable when such accommodations take place in production context - other workers, specifically, NON-MUSLIM workers had to cover those break times. As a result, some non-muslim workers were forced to work 4-5 hours straight without a break. When they [the non-muslim workers] complained about being forced to accommodate the Ramadan breaks for an entire month, the company tried to reach a compromise by moving the Ramadan break back just a half hour, from 7:30 to 8:00p.m. When the muslim employees learned of the new compromise breaktime, there are reports that several muslim men left their stations at 7:30 p.m. and rioted in the breakroom."

Here's the story. It cites a story in the Greeley Tribrune, which is the second link.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022587.php

http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/2008109059967

I find this story confusing as well, but it seems the company did the usual thing, which is accommodate one group of workers at the expense of another. When the second group protested (the non-Muslims), the company tried to compromise and satisfy both groups by moving the break time back only a half-hour and some Muslims went to the cafeteria and rioted and damaged property in response to this compromise change.

The Greeley Tribune article has the quote in which an employee states the non-Muslim workers were ending up without a break for four or five hours. Changing break times throws the schedule off for everyone and causes hardships. I find this to be anything but trivial.

If a person wants to follow a rule-bound religion that makes it so very important to do this or that at a certain time of day it is that person's responsiblity to find work that fits their religious schedule.

[HijabiGirl]

Not to be nitpicky but isn't it normal to wait 4 hours before lunch break? All the jobs I had I would show up and about 4-5 hours later I had a lunch break. Anyways, rioting is the stupidest thing to do when trying to reach a compromise at work, they should all be fired for pitching a fit like a child.

I don't think it's ridiculous to ask if you can have your lunch hour moved, don't they have staggered schedules anyways? I worked as a manager and we staggered breaks to make sure the shift was covered properly.

[polis]

If a job requires you to skip prayer and make up everyday, you should find a new job as your obediance to God overrides your obediance to the clock at work. The prayer is only 5-10 minutes (depending on how fast you recite and if you want to do the "extra" prayers).

I suppose it's an issue because Christians do not put their religion before their jobs. If they follow the bible, they would not be working on the sabaath. A long time ago in Texas, stores were not allowed to open and people didn't work on Sunday (because most practice going to church on this day)...anyhow it became impractical and that law has not been in play.

With today's capitalistic market, it's absurd...and some may even call it un-american, to use religion as an "excuse" to get time off from work, even if it's a little break, outside christmas and all other religious holidays deemed "acceptable"

[crickett]

Those who rioted and damaged property should be FIRED, period. That has NOTHING to do with work and EVERYTHING to do with an attempt to intimidate the company AND the non-muslim workers. I am certain that not every muslim worker participated in this. However, for those that did, they should be FIRED and brought up on charges for vandilism, inciting a riot, inducing panic, etc.

[WryBread]

"Fired Somali workers observe Ramadan as leaders prepare for future action"

http://www.greeleytribune.com/articl...parentprofile=

Fired workers from JBS Swift & Co. stayed at home and observed the Ramadan fast with family and friends on Friday as Somali community leaders organized their constituents for possible legal action.

Several organizations, including Somali Aid, the Colorado Muslim Council, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition as well as faith and labor leaders, joined on Friday in condemning the firing of more than 100 Somali workers on Tuesday for not showing up to work at the JBS Swift plant, according to a release.

Local leaders prepared to hold a meeting today, however, to advise the workers on how to proceed. No Somali workers visited the local unemployment office on Friday as originally planned, according to Graen Isse, spokesperson for the local Somali community; such actions could happen on Monday.

Meanwhile, an investigation continues concerning threatening fliers that were distributed in the plant's cafeteria on Wednesday night that appeared to show people in a protest with signs reading "Behead those who insult Islam."

Isse vehemently denied that anyone in the Somali community was behind the fliers. Tamara Smid, spokeswoman for JBS Swift, said in an e-mail that "we did find inappropriate material Wednesday night -- it was immediately confiscated."

Nothing has been found since, Smid said, and while the company does not comment on internal investigations, she said that JBS Swift "in no way condones these types of things; we promote a best work environment atmosphere and in the event something like this were to happen, those employees would be disciplined accordingly."

What's next?

A meeting for the fired Somali workers will take place at 3 p.m. today at the Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Ave. in Greeley.

-----------------------------------

More to come, I'm sure.

HijabGirl -- The worker in the article states that the stress of the sort of work they do makes it hard to go four to five hours without a break.

[Pete Bondurant]

The interesting thing is that I have most likely killed some friends and/or family members of these ingrates. If they wish to have their sambusa and eat it as well, they should return to مقديشو.

[crickett]

I work for a nursing registry. One of the reasons that I prefer this over a regular job with set hours is BECAUSE I can take off any day that I want to. For instance I do not work Ash Wednesday nor Good Friday. Now, I do NOT expect my employer to accomodate me. There are so very many federal holidays which are already accomodated.
I know Filipino nurses who choose flexible work schedules so that they can have differing holidays off. Ditto for Muslim nurses, Indian nurses, Jewish nurses and African nurses, etc.
This is OUR CHOICE. It would be an unreasonable burden to any employer to accomodate EVERYONE'S choices.
Furthermore, the riot at the company and the detruction of property are ACTS OF TERRORISM! An attempt to intimidate both the comapny and the non-muslim workers. This should NEVER be tolerated. ZERO TOLERANCE!
Anything less will send the message that acts of violence and intimidation will achieve your objective and that there will be NO consequences.
I say, come down NOW and come down HARD. Zero Tolerance, period.