Muslim workers quit Swift meatpacking plant over prayer dispute

Nearly 100 Muslim workers have quit their jobs at a Swift and Company meatpacking plant in Nebraska because their prayer times weren't accommodated.

[Silly Rabbits]

Classic - Muslims don't eat pork how ironic. Better call Ala to help and ICE to see if they are legal.

[Dura]

WHO CARES!!! Get someone else in there to pack meat for me to eat!

Dura

[SadSad]

Good am glad to see they all quit. Maybe open jobs for Americans.

[Bossman]

WHO DO THESE GUYS THINK THEY ARE??? This is AMERICA!! No other relegious group is given these rights or are made exceptions too, if you dont like it, dont take the job, become a legal citizen and create your own company and do what ever the heck you want.If not go back to the homeland were you will be catered too!

[Pointing and Laughing]

Perhaps there are some jobs people who have to pray 5 or more times a day just shouldn't undertake. Maybe they shouldn't say... pilot planes if they can't do their job continuously, or drive a bus, or maybe work in a meat-packing plant. Because if the plant has to shut down for regular breaks like breakfast lunch and dinner, and then for the five religious breaks - because the prayers are at regular times, so having 100 or more people off the line at one time would be incredibly disruptive, when would they ever get any work done? We have religious freedom in the United States, which is great, and companies have a right to make money. They have a right to not be held hostage to a religion. It works both ways. Something tells me that these workers won't see that, though.

[Chris]

In a typical 8 hour shift-you get 2 15 minute breaks and a lunch. If they have to pray at least 5 times a day-They can pray before work, on their 3 breaks and after work. That seems so easy to me, why can't they figure it out?

[Deb]

Silly Rabbits wrote:

Classic - Muslims don't eat pork how ironic. Better call Ala to help and ICE to see if they are legal.

Good! We can't even let kids acknowledge God in the schools. why should they get any better treatment? See ya.

[Melvin]

Bossman wrote:

No other relegious group is given these rights or are made exceptions too, if you dont like it, dont take the job, become a legal citizen and create your own company and do what ever the heck you want.If not go back to the homeland were you will be catered too!

Amen.

They accepted the job, knowingly and willingly. There should be no sympathy on this issue.

[tom]

Hopefully the door won't hit them in the arse on their way out. And if it does...who cares.

[common sense]

This will fire up the left, poor mistreated muslims don't get to pray 5 times a day for our destruction....

[Max]

There's an old saying "When in Rome do as the Romans do". I say "When in Nebraska do as the Nebraskans do". Where do the Muslim get off demanding breaks for prayer 5 times a day {?}. If they have to pray they should be able to pray without having to stop their work day to do it. This type of behavior from the Muslims drives me up the wall!

[Max]

To common sense "what does this have to do with the so called "left"? You are very narrow minded for a person with 'common sense'.

[Jack]

Dura wrote:

WHO CARES!!! Get someone else in there to pack meat for me to eat!
Dura

They did but they were sent back to Mexico.

[Jack]

Bossman wrote:

WHO DO THESE GUYS THINK THEY ARE??? This is AMERICA!! No other relegious group is given these rights or are made exceptions too, if you dont like it, dont take the job, become a legal citizen and create your own company and do what ever the heck you want.If not go back to the homeland were you will be catered too!

They can join the military and get a free ride home.
Then they can fight for the freedom in their own country instead of our own brothers and sisters having to do it for them.

[WHAT THE HELL]

Why do they need to pray 5 times a day? I think once would be just fine. Besides, I couldn't imagine eating my lunch around 100 of them doing the same damn thing. I think I would have to quit my job cuz that would weird me out.

[bookwerm]

Yes, it is apparent that a reasonable accommodation for these folks is to let them pray on their breaks, and time the breaks to be near the prayer time, if possible. That is it.

However, remove the blinders folks, and see we have LOTS of religious bias in our country.

First off, NOWHERE does is say that the Muslims were not US citizens, so please march your racist butt off this internet if you state that is so.

But there is all sorts of unfairness.

WE get Christmas off. Why?
It is a religious holiday?
NO religious holidays should be paid, or if we pay Christian holidays, we should have a scattering of other religious holidays paid also. Really tho, Xmas is something celebrated by most everyone, denominational or not. And that is about the only "official" holiday that is religious, in America at least. Right?

Now, pragmatically, so many Americans are Christian OR celebrate Xmas, that realistically, not enough people would show up for work, so business is mostly shut down.

But places closed on Easter? How pathetic. Target was closed, at least near Denver area. Same for Many other places of business. What whiners. What losers. Target, you suck. Sears was open. They are a true American company, not a lame one like Target.

I expect our economic engine to run on all cylinders every day of the week, and accomodating religions by shutting down is pathetic. & END the BLUE LAWS!(if you don't know what that is, look it up)

Fine, the people who share that faith, that has a religious holiday (Yom Kippur or whatever) can ask for it off, but the business should not be shutting down.
Best case would be a nice mix of folks for employees, with either different religions, or agnostic, so christians can have off Xmas, but jews and Muslims can work that day. and vica versa.

That is fair.

[A teacher]

Time for them to find a new job...

[JLOC]

Now they have 24 hours a day to pray. If you don't like our way of life, leave!

[Dirt]

America is a country where you can believe whatever you like, and spend your time as you please. If you have an hourly job and expect to take time out of the day to worship Allah, or Jesus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, go for it, but don't expect to be paid for the time you spend talking to God.

America is also a land of opportunity where you can find something else to do if your present working conditions don't suit you, and there's a good chance that someone else will be happy to take the job that you've decided you hate.

Where in the article did it say these Muslims were packing pork? Nebraska feeds a lot of beef cattle...

[common sense]

Max wrote:

To common sense "what does this have to do with the so called "left"? You are very narrow minded for a person with 'common sense'.

Because Mad Max, the left, the ACLU and their ilk will decide the poor little sons of allah are being picked on....ACLU=All Criminals Love Us....