PR: Overhill Farms’ Workers Launch Consumer Campaign Against Panda Express

HERMANDAD MEXICANA LATINOAMERICANA
HERMANDAD GENERAL DE TRABAJADORES UNION INTERNACIONAL

PRESS RELEASE
June 11, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Person:  Nativo V. Lopez                                 
(714) 423-4800

OVERHILL FARMS’ WORKERS LAUNCH CONSUMER CAMPAIGN
PANDA EXPRESS IS THE FIRST TARGET

What:  Protest by workers of Overhill Farms

Where:  PANDA EXPRESS food outlet on the corner of Alameda and Florence in the city of Huntington Park

When:  Thursday, June 11, 2009

Time:  4:30 p.m.

Terminated workers of the Overhill Farms company announce their consumer education campaign in response to the racist and discriminatory abuse and mass firings by company President Jim Rudis.

PANDA EXPRESS is the first target of the consumer education campaign.  Panda Express is a major purchaser of pre-packaged food product manufactured by Overhill Farms.  Others include Jenny Craig, El Pollo Loco, Jack-in-the-Box, Costco, American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and other companies.

“We will call on these companies to communicate with Overhill Farms management to cease its discriminatory treatment of its employees and return the terminated workers to their jobs.  Consumers of product from these companies have the right to know the truth about Overhill Farms.  And, we intend to make sure they know,” stated Teresa  Cortez, leader of the Worker’s Council of Overhill Farms.

Most of the dismissed workers have been with the company between five and twenty years, and those with the greatest seniority are women.  Overhill Farms is the powerhouse publicly-traded multi-million dollar food processing and pre-packaged food manufacturing and distribution company of southern California – thanks to its immigrant work-force.