Last year, Smithfield was forced to cut production when workers braved penalties to walk out or stay home in protest of the company's refusal to grant them the opportunity to honor the civil rights leader.  Thousands had signed petitions asking for the holiday and a group of North Carolina clergy published an open letter in The Fayetteville Observer urging the company to "heal the wounds of injustice against the workers and recognize the holiday". Reverend Jesse Jackson personally called the company to ask that the workers not be penalized; instead, Smithfield threatened to fire some and penalized others for not showing up for work. 

But this holiday, the company relented and on Monday, January 21st, Smithfield will become North Carolina's largest private sector employer recognizing the holiday.

"Dr. King stood for workers rights and if he were alive today, we know he would be fighting with us to help stop the abuse and make conditions better at the plant." said Julia McMillian, a Smithfield worker at Tar Heel. "We know that he would appreciate this victory we fought for." 

Legal rulings have affirmed that Smithfield in Tar Heel has assaulted, illegally fired, threatened, intimidated and hurled racial epithets at workers. The company was condemned in two Human Rights Watch reports in 2000 and 2005 for widespread, dangerous working conditions.  A recent report on injuries, based on company data given to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, found that injuries rose 200 percent from 2003 to 2006.