WASHINGTON
A Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Shelbyville, Tenn., will recognize a Muslim holy day as one of its eight paid holidays in place of Labor Day, a decision that has left many residents angry and some proud.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union negotiated the contract to assist the poultry-processor's Somali workers, many of whom are Muslim.
The contract makes Id al-Fitr -- which marks the end of Ramadan and falls at a different time each year, typically in late fall -- a day on which all union members can either stay home or work for extra pay. The labor agreement also sets aside prayer space for Muslim workers.
Community response in Shelbyville has been dramatic.
"You are a union that is proud of achieving a Muslim holiday and prayer room?" wrote one person to the union, according to The New York Times. "A union in the U.S.A., a country based on Christianity. You call yourselves Americans? Have you forgotten 9/11?"
A few people have called Tyson to praise the decision, said a company representative Libby Lawson.
"They understand that America is a melting pot, and they appreciate that Tyson recognizes this with its employees," Lawson said.
Still, criticism was overwhelming, and it prompted the union to remove from its Web site its initial press release that simply announced the change and post instead a more detailed statement defending it.
"The history of the labor movement tells us that unions are at their strongest when they're most inclusive," the union president, Stuart Applebaum, said in the news release.
"That means making it our business to stand up to win respect for every worker's right to practice their faith."
The new version also leaves out the number of Muslim workers at the plant, which the union had incorrectly stated as 700.
The total number is not known, Lawson said, but Somalis total 250 out of 1,200 plant workers. Of those workers, 1,000 are covered by the union and affected by the change.
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