A Harris Teeter grocery store had some unusual patrons this weekend.
Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 406 staged a protest outside of the store located on North Glebe Road to object to its purchase of pork products from Smithfield, a food processing company.
They say that Smithfield abuses the workers at its Tar Heel, North Carolina plant. According to a statement from the union, the plant has a long history of mistreating its workers.
"The company assaulted, intimidated, unlawfully fired and used racial epithets against its workers," the statement read. "Workers report that they are often fired after being injured and unable to keep up with the work. Injuries at the plant have increased 200 percent since 2003 based on OSHA data."
"Harris Teeter should have a moral conscience and get their pork elsewhere," Gene Bruskin, a coordinator of the protest, said.
Dennis Pittman, director of communications for Smithfield, denied that any abuse ever took place.
"We have not been beating anybody," he said. "There have been so many misrepresentations by the UFCW I can't even list them all."
Pittman said that the union is actively engaging in a smear campaign against Smithfield in an attempt to gain the approval of its workers.
"They have so far been unable to win a [union] election at the Tar Heel plant," he said. "We will gladly have an election at any time."
SEVERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS showed up and demonstrated on the sidewalk in front of the grocery store’s parking lot.
Del. Mark Sickles (D-43) said that he was there to lend moral support to the union.
"This is one way to help make change and to point out certain abuses taking place," he said.
Del. Kristen Amundson (D-44) attended the demonstration to show her backing for labor unions.
"I’m a strong supporter of working people," she said. "The middle class owes its existence to having a strong balance between labor and management."