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Workers Speak Out

Garang Mabior Ngueny

"One day there were only four guys on the table where we work. We told our manager that the line was speeding, and there were too few to do the job. He told us, 'I don't care about people, I just care about beef'."

--Garang Mabior Ngueny

Ashley Braaten

"This place is a sweatshop. I want a better place to work--a harassment-free environment. I want to come to work without being harassed, leered at, followed, and screamed at. I won't cross that line without a contract--no matter what."

--Ashley Braaten

Sabit Anok and son Caden

"They fire some people if they see a doctor. Because if the doctor sends you to the [Workers Compensation Board], the company doesn't like that. They scare people. There are people who are sick, but too afraid to go and see a doctor. They use us just like animals, not humans. That is why we need a union at Lakeside. If we don't have a union, we will be slaves forever at Lakeside. Any worker at Lakeside will be a slave."

--Sabit Anok

Ring Lual

"I have a relative whose hand was crushed [at Lakeside]. He had an operation, but he was back to work in 3 weeks. He was still hurting, and sore. They put him in light duty for a week, then right back on to the kill floor. They said he had to do it, but he could not and so he refused. The company says he quit, but they forced him to quit. If you hurt yourself, you become useless. The managers don't allow you to do a modified job, they don't even greet you any more. They get rid of you. This happens to a lot of people. I am surprised to see this in Canada. Even in Africa, in the third world, you are not suspended for getting hurt. If you have a doctor's note, you can go on short term disability."

--Ring Lual

Monica Deng

"When I started work here, I thought there was a union. In Sudan, every company has a union, because if there is no union, they use you like a slave. But there was no dignity, no respect. I started to talk about the union. We all did--white, black, all of us. I worked hard to bring the union here. One day they called me into the office. They told me, 'Monica, we know about you. We know you talk about the union'. They tried to make me take off my yellow hat where I wrote 'Local 401'. I think that’s when they decided they would find a reason to fire me."

--Monica Deng

Martha Aluel

"At Lakeside, they care about the cattle, but they don't care about the human beings. When a cow falls off a hook on you, they take care of a cow before you. So 400 pounds falls on you, and the first thing they do is pick up that cow, and put it back. I know two guys that happened to."

--Martha Aluel

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