Easley criticizes poultry plants

Resources pledged to help conditions

Gov. Mike Easley on Thursday decried the mistreatment of immigrant workers described in recent Charlotte Observer stories about the poultry industry, saying he'll make sure state regulators have the resources and authority to combat it.

"It's just horrible," he said during a 40-minute interview Thursday. "This cannot be allowed to continue regardless of what budget situations are."

Easley said he has waited until now to speak out on the Observer's February series because he was giving state agencies time to tackle workplace safety problems on their own. But he says he has grown disappointed in the state Labor Department's response.

"I think the Department of Labor has to be more aggressive," said Easley, a Democrat. "I didn't see the level of concern that needs to be there."

State Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry, an elected Republican, on Thursday defended her department.

Easley said his staff will work with the agencies that oversee workplace safety and workers' compensation to determine the appropriate fixes. He vowed that he would fight for new legislation and more resources if that's what's needed to protect workers. He and his aides said they were not ready to propose specifics.

"Legal or not these workers are still human beings," Easley said. "They're still God's children. And we have a moral obligation -- that supersedes state or federal law -- to treat them with dignity."

Raeford rapped

In a six-part series also published in The News & Observer, the Charlotte Observer reported that House of Raeford, a North Carolina poultry company with seven processing plants in the Carolinas, has masked the extent of injuries behind its plant walls.

Employees say the company has ignored, intimidated or fired workers who were hurt on the job. Illegal immigrants also told the Observer it was easy to get a job at House of Raeford and that they were less likely to question working conditions for fear of losing their jobs or being deported.

House of Raeford officials say they follow the law and strive to protect workers. When the first installment of the series was published, the company issued a statement saying: "This article does not provide an accurate portrayal of the programs, policies and practices of our company or the poultry industry."

The newspaper also reported that the number of workplace safety inspections at North Carolina poultry plants has plummeted in the past decade, while fines for serious violations at the state's poultry plants are less than half the national average.

"The lack of enforcement encourages employers to use more of the illegal work force and bring them into North Carolina and treat them inhumanely," Easley said. "That has to change. If it takes legislation, I'll get it passed. This just cannot continue."

Influence limited

Easley has less than a year left in his second term, and some issues are beyond his control. It's up to Labor Department officials to determine how heavily to fine workplace safety violators, for instance. And any changes in immigration, employment or workplace safety laws would have to come from the state legislature or Congress.

But the governor's influence includes proposing spending through his budget plan and rallying support for legislation.

Easley said he has asked the chairwoman of the N.C. Industrial Commission, which oversees the state's workers' compensation system, to meet with companies to ensure workers know how to file workers' compensation claims and complaints. Industrial Commission Chairwoman Pamela Young was not available for comment Thursday.