On Wednesday, August 29, Join Hundreds of Supporters of Smithfield Workers as we converge in Williamburg Virginia to Protest at Smithfield Foods Annual Shareholder's Meeting.
Meet up with us: 11:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg. 727 Scotland St. 23185 (map).
See below for information on registration, transportation, and an overview of the day's schedule. Questions? Contact smithfieldjustice (at) ufcw (dot) org
Keep watching this space for more details!
Click here to let us know you are coming and to sign up for Bus Transportation. You can view bus pickup times and locations here.
10 a.m.: Welcome Ceremony for Out-of-Town Participants. First Baptist Church
12 p.m.: Interfaith Celebration in Solidarity with Smithfield Workers. First Baptist Church
1 p.m.: March from First Baptist Church to Bicentennial Park.
2 p.m.: Rally at Bicentennial Park
3:30 p.m.: Buses Depart Bicentennial Park
Williamsburg, Virginia sits 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., midway between Richmond and Virginia Beach on Interstate 64. (See Map).
Approximate Driving Times:
From New York: 6hrs, 30min
From Charlotte, NC: 5hrs, 30min
From Philadelphia: 5hrs
From Tar Heel, NC: 4 hrs, 15min
From Greensboro, NC 4hrs
From Durham, NC 3hrs, 15min
From Washington, DC: 2hrs, 30min
From Richmond, VA: 1hr
By Bus: We have arranged for FREE bus transportation between Philadelphia, Washington, Silver Spring (MD), Durham/Chapel Hill (NC), Tar Heel (NC), Greensboro (NC), Lumberton/Fayetteville (NC), Charlotte, Dillon (SC), Richmond and the Virginia Tidewater Region. Click here to view our bus pick up times and locations.
In addition, Greyhound buses serve the Williamsburg train station.. For schedule and reservation information, call 1-800-231-2222 or visit www.greyhound.com.
By Airplane: The closest airports to Williamsburg are Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News/Williamsburg. Most major carriers fly into Richmond and Norfolk, however discount carrier Southwest flies into Norfolk only. US Airways, AirTran, and Delta service the Williamsburg/Newport News Airport.
From Richmond: Groome Transportation Service (804-222-7222) provides service between the airport and Williamsburg every hour on the hour. No reservations are required. Approximately one hour.
From Williamsburg/Newport News Airport: Associated Cab Shuttle (757-887-3412) or Williamsburg Taxi Service (757-221-0004). Reservations are recommended for these companies. You can also call Williamsburg Limousine (757-877-0279) or Yellow Cab (757-722-1111) , however these companies do not take advance reservations. Approximately half an hour.
From Norfolk: Norfolk Airport Express Shuttle Service (757-857-3991) departs every half hour from the airport. Approximately one hour, depending on traffic conditions at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
By Train : Amtrak serves Williamsburg from major Northeast cities (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and many points in between). Call 1-800-872-7245 or visit www.amtrak.com for more information.
The Council of Churches of Greater Washington, a coalition of 75 area churches, passed a resolution condemning Smithfield Foods for creating an environment of intimidation and fear for workers and encourages its congregants to take direct action by not purchasing Smithfield products and contacting the company. Click for a copy of the resolution in html or as a pdf.
DC City Council introduces resolution condemning Smithfield Foods for creating an environment of intimidation and fear for workers and encourages all supermarkets and vendors in DC from stocking Smithfield meat products. Click for a copy of the resolution in html or as a pdf.
The August '08 issue of Business North Carolina features a cover story on the Justice@Smithfield campaign. Read the article in html or as a pdf.
New York Times columnist Adam Liptak discusses the lawsuit against Justice@Smithfield and the First Amendment. Read the column.
Fayetteville Observer: "Ruling forbids Smithfield Packing using threats"
The March '08 cover story in Labor Notes asks, "Is Fighting for Justice at Smithfield Racketeering?"
Smithifield's Tar Heel workers win a paid Martin Luther King Holiday. Read the press release.
Avram Lyon says when he sees Paula Deen on TV, "all I can think of are the people working under horrible conditions at Smithfield." Read his article in the Forward.
Breast Cancer foundation sues Smithfield Foods for trademark violation.
Read Justice@Smithifield's statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit court ruling on Smithfield.
The final quarter of Paula Deen's hour-long appearence on NPR's Diane Rehm Show Nov. 28 was dominated by questions over her association with Smithfield Foods. Listen to the show using Windows Media Viewer or Real Player.
On Thursday, November 8, 2007, activists with the Western Massachusetts Jobs With Justice organized a protest outside a brand new Big Y supermarket in Northampton. Read More.
On September 12, the Bergen County (NJ) Central Trades and Labor Council passed a resolution calling on Smithfield to "[o]bey the law, by providing a safe workplace, giving Smithfield workers the right to chose a union...free from interferene of any kind."
On August 6, Smithfield Tar Heel plant worker Jose Ozorio Figueroa was terminated. Company representatives claim it was for showing up four minutes late to his shift, but Ozorio believes that he was fired for his union activities. Read his statement.
Presidential Master Chef Talli V. Counsel asks celebrity chef Paula Deen to use her influence to end the “brutal working conditions” at Smithfield’s Tar Heel Plant. Read more.
On August 1, 2007, the City of Boston passed a resolution calling on the city to "review its purchasing of any products from the Smithfield Packing Company in Tar Heel, North Carolina....and suspend these purchases until the company ends all form of abuse, inimidation and violence against its workers..." It also encourages Boston supermarkets "to consider suspending their purchase of any Smithfield products..."
On Saturday, July 14, dozens of Nashville clergy, civil rights leaders and consumers rallied to demand that two area supermarkets to stop stocking Smithfield Foods pork products made at the company’s Tar Heel plant. Read more.
More than 100 supporters rallied in front of a Publix supermarket in Atlanta to demand that the market stop carrying pork products from Smithfield's Tar Heel plant. Read More.
More than 250 family members and supporters of Smithfield Workers delivered a Father’s Day Card to Harris Teeter’s president. Read the news coverage [With Video].
On June 4, the City of Cambridge, MA unanimously passed a resolution in support Smithfield workers in Tar Heel. Read the historic resolution.
Children of Smithfield workers will deliver a Father's Day card to Harris Teeter's PresidentDownload the flyer.
Jim Hightower: Paula Deen "has cooked up a big ol' mess of political controversy for herself." Read the story.
