PITTSBURGH, Aug. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USW International President Leo W. Gerard released the following statement today regarding the abuse of foreign students this summer at the Hershey Co. packaging plant in Pennsylvania:
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"The offer this week by Hershey Co. to give the foreign students that it exploited at its packaging facility in Pennsylvania one day of educational events and potentially a week of paid vacation is shockingly inadequate for the wrongdoing committed and illustrates clearly that this corporation has no intention of justly treating foreign or American workers.
"Many of the 400 foreign students that Hershey Co. lured to its Palmyra, Pa., chocolate packaging factory through a convoluted series of subcontractors protested working conditions that included lifting heavy loads and earning far less than minimum wage after excessive rents and charges were automatically deducted from their paychecks.
"They were joined in the protests last week by religious, labor and AFL-CIO leaders who believe, as I do, that Hershey dishonored America, which established the J-1 Visa program to enable foreign graduate students to 'experience and be exposed to the people and way of life in the United States.'
"Exploiting workers and threatening them with summary deportation if they complain, as Hershey did, is far from the image of this country that most Americans want to give foreign students.
"Hershey has now responded by offering the students one day of events at the company headquarters and by asking one of its subcontractors to offer the foreign young people a fully-paid week off, supposedly to enable them to travel and experience American culture. These opportunities are supposed to be central to the program, not an afterthought that the ill-paid and ill-treated students cannot now afford.
"As restitution to the students Hershey mistreated, it must, at the very least, reimburse them the $3,000 to $6,000 that each paid to travel to the United States to participate in this program.
"In addition, the Labor and State departments must continue their investigations of potential federal violations by Hershey and its subcontractors.
"And, finally, I agree with the students and religious and labor organizations who said during their protests that these packing jobs, with federal safety, wage and other regulations observed, belong to Pennsylvanians, particularly at a time of high unemployment."
CONTACT:
Wayne Ranick (412) 562-2444 [email protected]
SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)
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