A union at a Tennessee Tyson food plant has negotiated a new contract wherein Labor Day has been substituted with a Muslim holiday, infuriating many outsiders. The provision, which was proposed by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, has delighted the plant?s Somali workers, who account for hundreds of its 1,200 employees. But it has angered many others, leading some to denounce Tyson and the union alike. Upset by the criticism, Stuart Appelbaum, the union?s president, said the decision was fully consistent with the spirit of Labor Day.
See "Muslim Holiday at Tyson Plant Creates Furor", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, August 5, 2008