Employees Go on Strike at Cargill in Schuyler

SCHUYLER - A group of Cargill employees in Schuyler went on strike Tuesday morning. A translator for Eduardo Torres told NCN during a phone interview, that the employees were upset, that the 2nd and 3rd shifts received a pay raise, while their [1st] shift did not. "So it all started because 2nd and 3rd [shift] got a raise. 2nd got a raise of $1.50, and 3rd of $3.... and that's basically why everything had started," said the translator. Several law enforcement officers were at Cargill at around 2 p.m., including Nebraska State Patrol, the Colfax County Sheriff’s Office, and Schuyler Police. The increased law enforcement arrived as the shift on strike was scheduled to end for the day, and the next shift arrived. Several of the employees who were on strike Tuesday gathered at a park in southern Schuyler after leaving work, with Torres, Yony Pupo, and others sharing their thoughts via a translator. Some of the employees who gathered said the goal of the strike was to figure out why they didn't get a raise like the other staff members. "They started going around with 3 sheets of paper. One was basically saying that  you will come to work tomorrow. If you sign that you are coming to work, you are not coming to strike or anything you are working and that's it. The second one was to terminate yourself. To surrender. To say you quit, basically. And the third one was.. I'm not sure on the third one... but I was basically focused on the first one," said a Cargill employee. Employees at the park said they believe some of their fellow workers did quit following the strike, but those reports remain unconfirmed. NCN has reached out to Cargill and will update the story if more information or comments are made available.