Postville, IA – Agriprocessors State Child Labor Trial Set for May

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    AgriprocessorPostville, IA – A trial has been set for May 4 on the 9,211 state child labor charges against Agriprocessors and some former employees.

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    The trial, to be held in Black Hawk County District Court, was discussed today during a status hearing and is expected to last three weeks. The charges were filed in Allamakee County, but First Judicial District Judge Nathan Callahan is assigned to Black Hawk County, so he proposed moving the hearings and trial to that county.

    Last summer, a mock jury pool was called and jury questionnaires were used to determine if a fair and impartial jury could be seated in Black Hawk County.

    Mark Weinhardt, attorney for Aaron Rubashkin, former owner of Agriprocessors, said after reviewing the jury questionnaires, he thought it was possible to seat a fair jury in this county but it might be difficult. There were some negative comments regarding his client, he said.

    Callahan said he didn’t think it was impossible to seat a fair and impartial jury in the county.

    Callahan also considered a motion filed several months ago by defense attorneys to dismiss the charges, but questioned the defense’s argument for the dismissal. The defense wanted to present testimony from witnesses regarding the dismissal. Callahan said he thought that would be improper, but agreed to let the defense offer documents or exhibits with its motion.

    In the motion, the defense argued that the charges should be dismissed because the Iowa Department of Labor was investigating Agriprocessors for employing minors in January 2008 and had knowledge there were employees who were minors before the May 12 immigration raid at the Postville meatpacking plant. Agriprocessors didn’t know the employees were minors and the labor department didn’t share that information with plant officials, plant officials said.

    Callahan said the charges against the defendants are regulatory offenses and the fact taht the labor department conducted an investigation doesn’t absolve them from responsibility or liability.

    Agriprocessors, former owner Aaron Rubashkin, former vice president Sholom Rubashkin, former human resources manager Elizabeth Billmeyer and human resources employees Laura Althouse and Karina Freund face 9,201 misdemeanor child labor charges.

    According to the criminal complaint, filed last September, 32 employee-victims younger than 18, with seven younger than 16, were identified. The charges also allege the underaged employees worked more than eight hours each day and more than 40 hours a week, operated power-driven machinery and were exposed to poisonous or dangerous chemicals.


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    18 Comments
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    formelly
    formelly
    14 years ago

    I thiught they where not going to try him on this

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    let them plead guilty and pay the fine. THey should volunteer to do community service telling people that crime does not pay.

    anti semitism and recession
    anti semitism and recession
    14 years ago

    Historically anti semitism peaks at times of recession and depression. I think it would be very hard to get a fair and impartial jury

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    For these “children” it is better to work than do nothing and get in to trouble.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    When 1300 illegal immigrants were arrested at IFCO in May 2006, no criminal charges were filed against any of the illegals for producing false documentation, no corporate criminal charges were filed against the company and no criminal charges were filed against any of the officers of the company even though they had to pay 2.7 million in back overtime wages and a huge civil fine. Likewise the 1300 illegals arrested at Swift on Dec 12, 2006. No charges for the illegals, no charges for the company, no charges for the officers. Keep telling me how Rubashkin gets treated just like everybody else who breaks the law. Aaron Rubashkin? The guy is sitting in NY and he gets charged with 9000 counts in Iowa? To put things in perspective, if the 9/11 hijackers had lived, they wouldn’t have faced 9000 counts.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    these “children” lied about their age since they were forced to work to support their families. many were parents already, and were very happy to work there, as smr treated his workers very well. in the past, any worker who was discovered to be too young was no longer allowed to continue working there. the state discovered prior to the raid that there were minors there but chose not too disclose it to smr, so that they can hit it all with a big blow when they raided him. they then decided to charge him for every day that they worked there, so that the 20-30 minors was multiplied many times over in order to reach a shoking amount of charges that overwhelms the mind in order to paint a bad picture of him. the minors were encouraged to cooperate with the prosecutors, otherwise they would have to serve jail time- and which goy would agree to suffer instead of seeing justice served to a jew?. the abuse they endured by the prosecuters is far worse than the “abuse” by smr. prior to the raid rubashkin asked them to help him work things out, but they ignored it and decided to raid him instead. the anti-semitism in every detail of this case is sickening and may Hashem help him.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    #12
    None of the cases you mentioned involved child workers. The youngest of the kids was just 14 years old. You know what a 14 year old looks like don’t you? He looks like a Bar Mitzvah! For a mashgiach or shochet to say they didn’t know children were working in the plant is cruel joke. For Rubashkin to say he didn’t know who was working for him is just plain stupid. Anyone walking through the plant would have seen these kids.
    Almost all of the kids were in school and were enticed to come and work at the plant by a corrupt school counselor who was also a business partner of Rubashkin in real estate deals.
    Real fine upstanding moral people the Rubashkin’s. A great dugmah of or L’goyim.