UNITED STATES-SETTLEMENT FOR MOSLEM WORKERS IN POULTRY PLANT.
The Minnesota Federal District Court has approved a settlement amongst Gold’n Plump Poultry, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and private parties over prayer accommodation at the company’s Cold Spring, Minn., and Arcadia, Wis., production plants.
The settlement brings closure to a class-action lawsuit and EEOC charges filed against the company in 2006.
Terms, which were agreed last November, include a financial settlement and a change to a previous break schedule at the Cold Spring and Arcadia facilities, the company said in a statement.
As part of the settlement, Gold’n Plump will pay $720,000 for class-action plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and $215,000 to the EEOC, which will distribute the funds amongst many different parties.
The agreement also includes a new break schedule that adds one 10-minute break in the second half of the shift and reduces the break during the first half of the shift from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Employees wishing to take a break that coincides with prayer time must work in an area of the plant called "Second Processing" or may request a transfer to that area.
"We entered into the settlement agreement in order to gain more predictability for our business and minimize disruptions for our employees moving forward," Gold’n Plump CEO Mike Helgeson said in a statement. "The agreement covers all Cold Spring and Arcadia employees through 2011."
Helgeson explained that a key part of the settlement grants Gold’n Plump the ability to discipline employees who leave their positions outside of their break schedule for any reason other than for emergencies.
