Muslim workers at Fort Morgan meat packing plant fired over walkout involving prayer dispute

DENVER — About 150 workers, most of them immigrants from Somalia, have been fired from a Colorado meat packing plant after walking off the job during a dispute over workplace prayer.

Somali worket at Meat plant_Colorado — A Somali worker cuts and moves on the line as he trims beef in the manufacturing department at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colo. (Joe Amon, Denver Post file)

The Denver Post reports about 200 workers walked off their jobs at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan earlier this month. Jaylani Hussein with the Council on American-Islamic Relations says that depending on the season, the Muslim workers prayed at different times of the day. But a decision was made at the plant to change the practice.

He says that on Tuesday, Minnesota-based Cargill fired most of the workers who walked out. Cargill representatives couldn’t be reached Wednesday night.

Last week, company spokesman Mike Martin told the Greeley Tribune that because employees work on an assembly line, only one or two at a time can use a prayer area.

Source: AP

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I think these people have become a burden on their employers. Why don’t they wait to pray until the end of their shiifts? It is hard for employers to keep track of the prayers’ changing times. I had once interpreted for a group of Somalis. They were in a public assistance office English language class which used to end at 3:30 PM. The afternoon (ASR) prayers were at that time at 3:15, and since they got dismissed in 15 minutes, the school had asked them to wait for just a quarter of an hour for their ASR prayers. There was commotion in the class which was led by a bearded man that I suspected was among those who participated in the early 1990’s clan cleansing in Mogadishu. A long story short, the office had declined to accede to their demand and told them anyone who was not interested not to come back to the class; the office would have suspended their assistance if they did not comply. I believe we need to be reasonable and let’s not make this religious thing a burden on the bottom line of those who hire us.

January 1, 2016 Hersi Farah

Hersi and Nur,
You are both right and this happens ” only” to Somalis, it shows how Somali people are difficult to deal with. I was once told by another African who use to work with Somalis in one of those companies that Somalis could not even agree how to pray in that place,” No wonder why your country is so chaotic for quarter a century”….!
Nobody else could use the bathrooms after they splashed water everywhere and the company has to hire another cleaning staff to clean after them, as well. Call it another financial burden..!
There you have it on your face another question that makes you look so stupid for an answer…!
It is the people not the land that need re-education, Mao style..! And I think, the milatery people were right in 1969 to “re-form” all those colonial peddlers and clan-worshiping mentally challenged retards..!
They use to call them” Dabadhilif, Afmiishaar iyo calooshii u shaqeyste, hadda waxaa ku soo biiray Ruufiyaan” and that is exactly what we have now in Somalia…!
January 6, 2016 Dhacarbe Abdul

January 1, 2016 Hersi Farah

This obviously happens to Somalis only. Other Muslims use their brains and the wisdom of Islam to combine life with religios obligations. Prayers should never lead you lose your job. You can carry out your salat in any situation if you just use your head.

January 1, 2016 Abdi Nur