Postville, Iowa: The rehiring of skilled workers to replace the incarcerated illegal workers seized in the May 12th raid by ICE is the key to the resumption of the supply of glatt kosher beef, Agriprocessors officials acknowledged.

The livestock industry has always found it hard to recruit skilled workers for certain jobs in slaughterhouses. At the same time, KosherToday has learned that the production of poultry has reached pre-raid levels, easing the shortage of poultry throughout the country. Many communities, however, are still being faced with shortages of  beef products, although company officials say that they have been gradually increasing production.

The charge of rehiring the workers has fallen to the Missouri-based Jacobson staffing firm. The firm has placed ads in cities throughout the country as well as in areas under U.S. control to locate the skilled workers. A firm spokesman explained that while the specifications of the jobs are being publicized, it is not offering any guarantees of employment. Several large groups like Somali workers have shown up in Postville and have told reporters that they were promised jobs, but in reality, says the staffing firm, it’s still only an application.  Even after being hired, said the Jacobson spokesman, they would first have to clear the federal e-Verify program to determine their eligibility to work. Other groups, including workers from Micronesia, were also said to apply, again causing some media scrutiny.

According to Agriprocessors, its workforce today is a “melting pot” of ethnicities and nationalities, all of whom are legal workers. In the early days of the Jacobson effort in June, Agriprocessors was even accused of hiring homeless persons and creating somewhat of a social problem in Postville, a charge that was rejected by Mayor Robert Penrod when he met with a delegation of visiting rabbis on July 31st.

Mr. Penrod said the Somalis were blending into Postville’s multiethnic fabric. Speaking of the Somalis, Penrod noted: “They kind of mingle among themselves, and they don’t bother anybody.” Another Postville resident complained that the media scrutiny is worse than the raid itself, a fact echoed by city officials who are now concerned about dwindling school enrollment. Agri officials are hoping to be able to supply more product in advance of the upcoming holidays as the company’s phones are ringing off the hook with a demand for products.

(Source: Kosher Today)