Postville Plant Reopens, Workers Still Without Money

By: Claire Kellett, Anchor/Reporter

Workers leave the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville after their shifts on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008. There has been no beef kill at Agriprocessors this week, but employees should be returning Thursday. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

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By Claire Kellett

Story Created: Dec 3, 2008 at 10:32 PM CST

Story Updated: Dec 3, 2008 at 11:14 PM CST

POSTVILLE - After more than two weeks of sitting still, limited production picked back up inside the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville Wednesday. But Wednesday night, workers still without a job there say this news isn't as promising as it seems. They said that after meeting with the plant's court-appointed trustee from New York.

Going into Wednesday night's meeting, employees were hopeful they would find out when they would receive weeks worth of pay and when they might get their jobs back. But walking out of the meeting, workers say things seem almost worse for them.

More than 100 employees clocked in at the Agriprocessors plant Wednesday, fulfilling such jobs as maintenance and chicken kill. Hundreds of others are still wondering whether they will ever work there again.

"We go up there I don't know how many times a day because we are just trying to figure out what's going on," says Sarah Peck, a former Agriprocessors worker.

Wednesday night Agripocessors workers didn't find the answers they had hoped for. A court-appointed trustee told them the company can't guarantee any more jobs, and that for now only workers back at the plant will gradually receive back pay. Everyone else has to file a claim in bankruptcy court. And there's no saying when or if those workers will get their money.

"The unemployment checks haven't come in yet. That takes three to four weeks. We're just trying to survive," says Rhonda Lechuga, an Agriprocessors worker.

But trying to survive without health insurance, mounting bills and little food has put these workers and their families in desperate situations.

" I resorted to my parents. They have been paying my rent and all of my bills," says Peck.

Agriprocessors operating bills are covered through the end of next week. But the court-appointed trustee is optimistic the bankruptcy court will approve financing for a longer period of time.

The court-appointed trustee says that's important because an operating plant is easier to sell. Even though there are not enough funds right now for beef production, this New York bankruptcy lawyers says the plant can still be marketable if it ramps up its chicken production. He also says he has already heard from multiple parties interested in buying the plant, but nothing is final right now.

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