Sumter, SC (WLTX) - Dozens of employees at Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plant in Sumter walked out Wednesday night and into the morning, claiming that someone in a supervisory role called minority workers at the plant roaches.
The workers say say the comments are hurtful, offensive, and unacceptable, and some are refusing to go back in.
“We’re very upset about that! he’s wrong for doing us like that, hard as we have to work!” said Ethel Kingwood, who works there.
She's not the only one who's upset. The comments were made over a two-way radio in the building.
“[He] said, 'it’s some roaches in the hallway we need to get that cleared up, it’s some roaches in the hallway,'" Tia James said.
She heard the comments herself.
“I heard it and I talked to somebody else that had a radio and we came to the conclusion that ok, clearly there’s no roaches in the hallway," James said. "The only person, animal, anything that was in the hallway were people.”
Workers say that’s unacceptable.
“We were hard in here, and that’s not right, to have the nerve to come around here and call us roaches," Kingwood said.
Demetria Stewart says there are a number of other racial and workplace issues that have brought these workers to a boiling point.
She said she doesn't think his comments couldn't been misconstrued. “No it couldn’t. No. Not at all.”
“They’re just tired period," Stewart said. "This is just the icing on the cake.”
They say they won’t go back to work until the accused employee is fired.
“I’m hurt by it," said Mykelle Rose. "I am, I’m hurt by it. That’s why I’m standing out here and I’m going to continue to stand out here until we get justice for this."
We have reached out to Pilgrim’s Pride about this and have not yet received a response.