Catherwood LibraryILR School

Workers at Agriprocessors? (the nation?s largest kosher meat packer) Brooklyn site voted overwhelmingly in 2005 to unionize, complaining about low pay, low overtime pay, and a lack of health insurance and vacation time. The company, which had long opposed unionization, refused to recognize the union, saying they had just found out that most of the workers were illegal immigrants, and therefore should not be allowed to organize. The National Labor Relations Board ordered the company to recognize the workers as a part of United Food and Commercial Workers? Union Local 342, however 14 striking workers had already been fired. Agriprocessors has now appealed to the Supreme Court, hoping to repeal the decision and change Supreme Court precedent from 1984, which allowed illegal immigrants to join unions.