051105 Merced, CA Plant Workers Return to Picket Lines

Livingston, CA - Hundreds of chicken processing plant workers walked off the job Thursday for the second time in recent weeks.

Employees at Foster Farms' Livingston plant hit the picket lines Thursday. Hundreds of workers staged a four-day strike last week, saying the company has illegally harassed, demoted and suspended employees.

Thursday's strike started at about 4:40 a.m. after some union-backed workers rallied employees in a break room, said Ralph Meraz, president of the Independent Workers of the San Joaquin Valley. The union represents the plant's 2,400 workers.

The company denied the claims and said a new contract favored by the union wanted to force employees to join as a requirement for employment. Foster Farms has no plans for any future negotiations, said Tim Walsh, the company's vice president for personnel.

Meraz said strikers will picket all through Friday. From there, he said he'll "play it by ear."

Foster Farms' Livingston plant processes thousands of chickens a day and is "well ahead of production schedule" despite the walkout, Walsh said. Foster Farms is Merced County's largest employer with 3,800 workers.

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