GraniteGrok

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The story about Tyson Foods' decision to swap the Labor Day holiday for Eid al-Fitr is sweeping the Internet and flying all around via email as we speak. From the Shelbyville Times-Gazette:

Workers at Tyson Foods' poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day, but will instead take the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the fall.

A recent press release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) stated that a new contract at the Shelbyville facility "implements a new holiday to accommodate the ... Muslim workers at the plant."

I have some thoughts on this. First, while I'm definitely NOT the biggest fan of labor unions, what is more American than the concept of a three-day weekend at the end of summer? If this isn't evidence of non-assimilation, I don't know what is. While I don't necessarily dispute the workers' right to decide when their allotted holidays will be taken, I just believe it tells us something about some of the more recent immigrants to our country-- especially when compared against those who came before, eagerly seeking to become "American" which included adopting its traditions and customs (not to mention the language). Although I suppose the ranks of Islamic employees could include a growing number of "disaffected" African-Americans too, as it is no secret that this demographic is a growth market for new converts. The Times-Gazette story continues:

there are approximatly 700 Muslims working at Tyson, but Mickelson said that Somalis only represent approximately 250 of the 1,200 employed at the plant, a little over 20 percent of the workforce.

"All Team Members who have completed their probationary period are eligible for all eight paid holidays including Eid al-Fitr," the Tyson spokeman said.

The union also claimed that in addition to the observance of the Muslim holiday, "two prayer rooms have been created to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."

Mickelson said that Shelbyville's Tyson plant "does have a prayer room to accommodate the needs of Muslim Team Members."

"In addition to regular, non-paid breaks, all Team Members are allotted a seven-minute paid break," the Tyson spokesman said. "Some Team Members choose to pray during this time."

While I'm not against the concept of people praying during work breaks, this is much more ingrained into the workplace culture-- by written rule-- than anything I've seen anywhere with regards to other religions one has long found here in America. This is the difference between a more passive, personal religious relationship with God than that of Islam, which seeks to insert itself into EVERY facet of life, including the leading authorities-- in this case, the union and operation of a major corporation. And of course we all know that this includes politics and the government itself. (Sharia law)