On Aug. 29, 1,000 workers, labor organizers and community activists marched in a protest demonstration at the Smithfield Foods shareholder meeting in Williamsburg, Va. A major focus of the protest was the Tar Heel, N.C. pork processing plant, in which more than 5,000 workers process 32,000 pigs a day under extremely dangerous working conditions.
Smithfield workers have been struggling to unionize at Tar Heel—the world’s largest pork processing plant—since 1994. Corporate bosses have been brutal in their attempts to crush the efforts. Tactics include random firings and collaborating with federal immigration authorities to scare workers.
Speakers at the rally stressed solidarity among all workers, Black, Latino, and white, and strongly condemned anti-immigrant bigotry that corporate bosses promote against the Latino community.
That solidarity was reflected in the diverse crowd. Chants of “No justice, no peace,” and “Sí se puede” rang through the streets. It was the largest demonstration ever in historic Williamsburg.
