Cargill is one of the biggest employers in Rockingham County. They’ve come under fire from workers inside their poultry processing facility in Dayton for what’s been called inhumane treatment and dangerous working conditions on the job. Poultry workers held a rally in downtown Harrisonburg on Sunday to push to unionize inside the plant.
Virginia poultry plants are non-union, and Cargill poultry workers are fighting to change that. Wilfredo Flores says he worked at Cargill for 13 years before being fired in December after receiving injuries on the job, then speaking out about the dangerous working conditions inside the plant.
“We’re going to unite all workers at all local plants!” he told the crowd at Sunday’s rally.
Carpal tunnel, broken limbs, then failure by management to provide workman’s comp for injuries are common stories among poultry workers, many of whom are Hispanic.
Workers wore bright yellow union tee shirts to the rally. 
“More and more employees are wearing the union tee shirts to work,” says Cargill employee Jose Perez.
They do this as a show of rebellion and solidarity.
Cargill spokesman Mike Martin wrote in an email that “while we cannot comment on situations involving specific employees, you should know that we do not terminate people for participation in activities and speech protected under the law.”