New York – When consumers see the OU, OK, or another label certifying that their food is kosher, they know that it was prepared according to halakha. They don’t, however, know if factory workers are treated fairly or if a production plant is run safely and with care for the environment. But efforts are under way to change that.
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The nation’s largest union representing food industry laborers has been campaigning to get the world’s largest producer of kosher meat to unionize, sparking the question as to whether there is room in the definition of kashrut for such factors as labor rights.
“My sense is that within the Orthodox communities people are increasingly aware of and concerned about how their products are being made,” said Arieh Leibowitz, communications director of the Jewish Labor Committee.
“People are asking questions,” Leibowitz said. He cited last year’s scandal in Monsey, N.Y. — where a kosher market sold nonkosher chickens with fraudulent kosher labels — for raising greater consumer interest in the preparation of kosher food.
“People want to know what’s behind the label,” he said. “They want to know more about the process, the circumstances in which things are made. It isn’t just the kashering per se but it may be the basic rights of workers according to halakha. And we encourage that.”
The OU, the largest certifier of kosher products around the world, does not weigh in on issues like worker safety, the environment, and animal welfare in the plants it supervises. State and federal governments have set up various agencies to deal with all of these issues, said Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator and CEO of the OU’s kashrut division. He added that the OU defers to the expertise of those agencies in those areas. While there is a halakhic basis for fair treatment of workers, he said, the OU relies on the government to provide unbiased and educated enforcement of its guidelines, as rabbinical judgments would be too subjective. [jstandard]
“The Local began primarily with workers in the pork and beef bologna industry. In the early 1900s, the Local’s members were all German bologna makers (“still the best bologna makers,” says Robert Wilson, president of Local 174). “
Wilson spent time in jail for embezzling funds from the pension fund of local 174
The halachic standards for how to treat workers are nothing like the union demands, or even the NLRB rules. Nobody is claiming that any kosher company is violating halachic standards. But there’s no reason for them to give in to unions and their demands.
See the ad in this weeks FORWARD and you’ll see how Kosher meat companies treat their workers!
How do the Kashrus Certifications treat their workers? Speak to some of them and you hear sad stories. It’s a shame but it’s all about money and how much the top dogs make.
If a person violated other halachic standards, such as those regarding proper treatment of employees, does the person become a posul eid to kashrut?
SOURCE http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_pgc_latino_recguide_nyrepos_nyu.shtml
Local 174 was first organized as a Butchers Union in 1902. In 1921, 1923, and 1937 it went through various mergers to become the Butchers Union of Greater New York, bringing bologna workers from Brooklyn and New Jersey under the direction of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workers of North America. In 1979 the Meat Cutters nationally merged with retail workers to become the United Food and Commercial Workers. Additional local mergers took place in 1983 and 1986. Locals which have been amalgamated into Local 174 include Local 211 (New Jersey), 234, 400 (retail meatcutters), 640 (beef, veal, and lamb industry), 653P, and 5.
The Local began primarily with workers in the pork and beef bologna industry. In the early 1900s, the Local’s members were all German bologna makers (“still the best bologna makers,” says Robert Wilson, president of Local 174). Jewish members then became very active, along with Irish workers who were predominant in the beef industry (perhaps because of the physical strength required to handle beef carcasses). During World War II, Blacks began to move up from the “dirty jobs” to become butchers. Latinos came into the industry after the war, especially as the industry moved more to fabrication instead of primarily cutting in the 1960s. They were also [believed to be] very skilled with veal which requires smaller more delicate work. Women have always worked in the bologna industry, articulating, linking. During World War II they came into packaging. Ironically, equal pay for equal work was interpreted by the employers to hire more men in packaging because they could both pack and lift, reducing the number of women to 25 percent …
This is such liberal stpidity its not funny. I would love to see a REAL survey where ALL KOSHER OBSERVANT consumers are asked about this inyan to see how many really care. My guess is that the left leaning kashrus observant people will maybe care but after that WHO CARES?!?!?!?!?
NO ONE!
This wakko in the story needs to be made to realize by his talking he is adding to the carbon dioxide on the planet which means he is destroying the envronment. That would be talking to him in HIW OWN language.
What a farce the unions have made. Local 174 of the NY butchers union had salaries that were so high, all of the kosher meat shops that were with them either closed up or moved out of New York. The union was so corrupt – all of the past presidents served jail time. This is what you want to put in charge of Kosher meats? A goy that gets paid more than a plumber?
If this goes through it will mean the end of kosher meat.
SO NO!
The TRUTH is that if treating the workers “humanely” or any other “hiddur” costs even 1 cent more, people will not be “machmir” for it.
Fact!