Tiny Nebraska town says no to chicken plant
(migrant labor one important objection), by
Ann Corcoran, 5/2/16
As reader Bob said in his
subject line when he sent me this news a few minutes ago: “Great story!” Downtown
Nickerson, Nebraska! I’m adding this town to my summer fact-finding tour for
sure!
We have been reporting for years
about how small towns throughout America’s heartland are being changed forever
when meatpacking plants bring in transient migrant labor (and large numbers of
refugees!) to work the low-skilled, low-paying jobs these meat giants pay. (I’m
told that meatpacking once paid well before they discovered, first
illegal immigrant labor, and now refugee labor.)
Three cheers for the citizens of Nickerson, Nebraska who sent the
chicken processing plant and its plans packing!
From the Associated Press: NICKERSON, Neb. (AP) — Half-ton
pickup trucks crowd the curb outside the One Horse Saloon, a neon Coors Light
sign in the window and rib-eye steaks on the menu, but otherwise Nickerson,
Nebraska, is nearly silent on a spring evening, with only rumbling freight
trains interrupting bird songs.
Regional economic development officials thought it was the perfect spot
for a chicken processing plant that would liven up the 400-person town with
1,100 jobs, more than it had ever seen. When plans leaked out, though, there
was no celebration, only furious opposition that culminated in residents
packing the fire hall to complain the roads couldn’t handle the truck traffic,
the stench from the plant would be unbearable and immigrants and out-of-towners
would flood the area, overwhelming schools and changing the town’s character.
Nickerson is close to the border of
Iowa. “Everyone was against it,” said Jackie Ladd, who has lived there for more
than 30 years. “How many jobs would it mean for people here? Not many.” The village board
unanimously voted against the proposed $300 million plant, and two weeks later,
the company said they’d take their plant — and money — elsewhere.
Nickerson fought against
Georgia-based Lincoln Premium Poultry***, which wanted to process 1.6 million
chickens a week for warehouse chain Costco. It was a similar story in Turlock,
California, which turned down a hog-processing plant last fall, and Port
Arthur, Texas, where residents last week stopped a meat processing plant. There
also were complaints this month about a huge hog processing plant planned in
Mason City, Iowa, but the project has moved ahead.
The question of who would work the
tough jobs was at the forefront of the debate, though many were adamant they
aren’t anti-immigrant. Opposition leader Randy Ruppert even announced: “This is
not about race. This is not about religion.”
But both were raised at the raucous
April 4 meeting where the local board rejected the plant. One speaker said he’d
toured a chicken processing plant elsewhere and felt nervous because most of
the workers were minorities.
No to Somalis!
More overtly, John Wiegert, from nearby Fremont where two meat
processors employ many immigrants, questioned whether Nickerson’s plant would
attract legal immigrants from Somalia — more than 1,000 of whom have moved to
other Nebraska cities for similar jobs, along with people from Mexico, Central
America and Southeast Asia. More here at AP.
The story reminds me to ask the BIG
MEAT headhunters at the US State Department this: You are admitting over 700 Somalis a month to
the US right now and then we have news from places like
Minnesota (which you have overloaded with Somalis) where Somalis working in manufacturing are demanding
sharia-compliance in the workplace. Why would anyone in their right mind
continue to hire Somalis and risk a lawsuit? And, why would any little town
where citizens obviously are reading alternative media (like RRW!), want that
for their town? And, so why do you let the UN continue sending them to America?
No time to research more now, but
this company is part of Crider Foods with a history of using illegal immigrant
labor. I’ll bet a buck that the owners are big donors to certain elected
officials (a project for another day!).
Comments
We need
ranchers and farmers to look for new meat packing companies to sell to. They
are patriots and will join us to replace the current crop.
We need investors
to form new meat packing companies to replace the current crop of meat packers.
These new companies should engineer their processes to attract a normal US
workforce. They will need to pledge to
hire local US citizens only, no refugees, no illegals. Consumers will respond if they know what
brands to buy.
We need
Governors to get the States out of the business of finding companies to move to
their States, they are to blame for this treason.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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