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North Carolina's Bladen, Hoke and Robeson counties are home to several meat-processing plants, including the largest slaughterhouse in the world, Smithfield Packing Co. Workers at these plants work long hours for little pay. When they try to organize, they are often threatened or fired. After years of struggle, workers from Smithfield finally won a union in 2008. Now union organizers and workers are seeking a similar victory at the Mountaire Poultry Plant. These photos depict the daily lives of union organizers and workers in the rural South.







