A man fired from his job at Jennie-O Turkey Store Inc. plant in Minnesota was wrongfully let go and deserves back pay, according to a settlement the company reached with the National Labor Relations Board.
Kadar Yusuf Haji Ali had filed a complaint against the company earlier this year in which he alleged he was threatened Feb. 19 by supervisors who said he was a "bad apple" for discussing the union.
The supervisors pressed him for the names of other workers who supported organizing the nonunion work force at the turkey plant, and told him that employees who became involved in union activities were watched closely until they either quit or were fired for making a mistake.
Ali was fired Feb. 26, according to the complaint. In a settlement reached this week, Ali waived his right to full reinstatement to his old job; the company must also post a notice in the plant reminding workers of their federally protected rights to discuss unions.
Officials with Jennie-O's parent company, Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., issued this statement: "The former employee worked at the Jennie-O Turkey Store plant ... and was terminated for reasons unrelated to his relationship with the union," said Pat Solheid, vice president of human resources and administration at Jennie-O Turkey Store. "While the settlement included back pay for the employee, he was not offered reinstatement to Jennie-O Turkey Store and the company continues to deny any wrongdoing."
Matt McKinney
