The story of Smithfield workers can be found at www.smithfieldjustice.com.  Basically it's a typical story of corporate greed where over the past decade the company has begun to demand more production at higher speeds at the world's largest pork processing facility.  The workers are primarily black and Latino and the company has used tactics to try to divide the workforce.  Even more upsetting are the ICE immigration raids that have taken place as recently as last week ripping families apart of workers are spread across detention centers around the US.

It is this immigration issue and corporate greed that provides a clear connection to ILRFs work.  We have seen that because of the economic plight of workers in Mexico and Central America, workers have been forced to come to the US seeking a job.  It's companies like Smithfield that then take advantage of this desperate situation by paying low wages all the while demanding higher production quotas.

ILRF stands in solidarity with the Smithfield Tar Heel workers and demands that Smithfield respect the workers' rights to freedom of association.