Smith Frozen Foods

Gordon Smith: Demanded Tax Breaks For Company While Giving Sweetheart Mortgages For Executives.

Smith Stands For Giveaways for Special Interests, Low Wages for Workers

Gordon Smith was keeping wages low for his workers and opposing an increase in the minimum wage for workers across the country, while he was doling out sweetheart mortgage deals for his company’s top executives.

In 2001, Smith Frozen Foods was in such dire straits – according to the company – that it petitioned to cut its property taxes. That move ultimately cost the town of Weston $300,000. But strangely the company was doing well enough that it could afford to give a mortgage to a top executive.

On January 27, 2001, the company’s acting president, Kelly Brown, took out a $65,000 mortgage from Smith Food Sales for a lot at the Langdon Lake Resort.

“Gordon Smith always puts the executives in the corner office before the workers on the line,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “Just like the financial titans on Wall Street, Smith expects hand outs from taxpayers, while he doles out Cadillac deals for his executives. Simultaneously, he has been an enemy for working people – opposing the minimum wage, denying his workers health care benefits and living wages, and firing his workers when cheaper labor is available.”

This wasn’t the first time, or the last, that Smith has helped his executives out:

• On June 15, 2003, Smith Food Sales extended a $17,000 mortgage for “agricultural purposes” to Kent and Tracey Perkes.
• On July 1, 1994, Smith Frozen Foods extended a $75,000 mortgage to Nicholas A. Smith, Garrett Packing executive, for property in Milton Freewater.
• On June 6, 1991, Kent Perkes received a $30,000 mortgage from Smith Frozen Foods for a lot in the West Hills Addition of Pendleton.
• On February 21, 1990, the executive Vice President of Smith Frozen Foods, David Jensen, took out a mortgage for an undisclosed sum from Smith Frozen Foods.

The stark contrast in Smith’s priorities are of no surprise to Oregonians – in the Senate, he voted repeatedly against raising the minimum wage while he was giving hundreds of billions in handouts to the largest multinational corporations in the world.

After promising to favor a hike in the minimum wage, Smith voted 10 times against increasing the minimum wage.
[CQ; Vote 278, 9/2/98; Vote 94, 4/28/99; Vote 239, 7/30/99; Vote 356, 11/9/99; Vote 75, 7/7/00; Vote 76, 7/7/00; Vote 26, 3/7/05; Vote 257, 10/19/05; Vote 179, 6/21/06; Vote 23, 1/24/07]

Instead Smith authored one of the biggest special interest giveaways in history. Smith brags about a tax giveaway he inserted into the JOBS Act that gave special interests more than $265 billion. Smith said the giveaway would create 650,000 new jobs. Instead, companies cut thousands of jobs in America. [Smith Press Release, 5/11/04; New York Times, 6/24/08; Slate.com, 4/13/06]

“Whether in Washington or Weston, Gordon Smith puts his own interest above that of working families,” Wood Smith said. “He scored a federal contract worth millions, his executives got mortgages, but families in Weston paid the price. Just like in Washington where he stands up for special interests on Wall Street while taxpayers are left holding the bag. Gordon Smith has just got it wrong.”

Discuss: Gordon Smith: Demanded Tax Breaks For Company While Giving Sweetheart Mortgages For Executives.

Posted October 20, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods - 2 comments

More Evidence

Report raises new questions about Smith Frozen Foods, Inc. hiring practices. Smith should answer honestly about his company’s hiring of undocumented workers.

New reporting from today’s Willamette Week uncovers more contradictions from Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith about his company’s practice of hiring undocumented workers.

Although Smith claimed in last week’s U.S. Senate debate that all the workers at his plant are documented, Willamette Week has uncovered a letter to the Social Security Administration from Smith Frozen Foods, Inc. showing that the company must have known it employed an undocumented worker and did nothing about it.

“The letter from Smith Frozen Foods is related to Hernandez’s effort to get Social Security benefits. But it is also a record of one worker’s employment with a fake Social Security number and Hernandez’s successful attempt to change that number when she got a new, valid one. Her move never appears to have raised any red flags with Smith Frozen Foods. The letter runs counter to Smith’s contention, repeated Sept. 10 on Lars Larson’s radio show, that his company follows a ‘very rigid procedure for hiring people.’ It also contradicts Smith’s statements about illegal immigration and casts a new light on his vote last year to kill federal legislation paving the way for undocumented workers to seek legal status.”
(Willamette Week, 10-15-08)

“Every time Gordon Smith discusses his company’s hiring practices, he blows more holes in his already tattered credibility,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “On television, on radio, in debates and to reporters, he consistently repeats a claim he knows is not true – that his company does everything it can to follow the law. When Gordon Smith got caught for exaggerating how often he travels Oregon, he instantly corrected his absurdly false claim. When will he acknowledge his egregious untruths about his company and correct his public statements? When will he instruct his company to follow the law, not circumvent it?”

You can read the whole article here.

You can see the letter from Smith Frozen Foods to the Social Security Administration here.

Discuss: More Evidence

Posted October 15, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

The Questions Gordon Smith Won’t Answer

Gordon Smith’s poor conduct as a corporate citizen concerns all Oregonians. Even more concerning is his unwillingness to respond to allegations and questions about illegal immigrants, worker training violations, serious injuries, and taxpayer-funded contracts at his company.

Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith has collected millions of dollars in taxpayer funded contracts while running a business that hires undocumented workers, risks his employees’ safety and may have accrued more fines and workplace safety violations than any other business run by any other member of the U.S. House or U.S. Senate.

Smith’s company has violated Oregon and federal laws yet he’s rarely answered to his constituents about his corporate behavior.

“Smith’s business is the people’s business,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “His conduct as a corporate citizen exemplifies his laser beam focus on the bottom line. This is the same greed-driven philosophy that has caused this economic crisis. His unwillingness to address these issues is adding greater concern for Oregon voters.”

The Facts

-Ample evidence of consistently hiring undocumented workers.

-A tripling of his multi-million dollar tax-payer funded contracts after his election to the U.S. Senate.

-Gordon Smith’s Golden Parachute - Is Smith preparing to write a blank check for his campaign?

-Providing safety training in English for Spanish speaking employees.

-At least 623 worker’s compensation claims.

-Cited more than 100 times for worker safety violations.

-Dangerous carbon monoxide levels investigated by OSHA.

-Saving hundreds of thousands on property tax breaks his neighbors did not enjoy.

Just A Sampling Of The Questions

-Do all the workers at his company have social security numbers or not? Senator Smith has said two different things.

-Do some of his workers have ITIN numbers? If so, why?

-In the absence of e-Verify, what procedures does Smith use to verify legal status of his employees?

-Why won’t Gordon Smith disclose the terms of federal contracts he signed just last month?

-Why was his business failing to train workers in their proper language?

-Why are workers at his plant routinely performing tasks they have not been trained to do properly?

-Why has Smith’s company accrued more than 700 OSHA violations and workers’ compensation claims?

-Is Gordon Smith worried that all of this attention on his corporate behavior will affect his reelection campaign?

-Is Smith building a golden parachute for himself so that he can self-finance his flailing campaign?

Discuss: The Questions Gordon Smith Won’t Answer

Posted October 2, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Smith Frozen Foods: A Very Dangerous Place

Smith Frozen Foods, a proud recipient of taxpayer-funded contracts and a proven employer of undocumented workers, is also a very dangerous place. For years Gordon Smith’s company has been plagued by serious injuries, including 11 cases of amputation, 31 fractures, 5 chemical burns, and over exposure to carbon monoxide.

Over the last 19 years, at least 623 workers’ compensation claims have been filed against Smith Frozen Foods, Brittany Farming and Garrett Packing – all companies owned by Gordon Smith. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Smith’s companies more than 100 times for violations of safety procedure and training for workers, lack of or inadequate guardrails, and exposing employees to dangerous materials.

Click Here For Workers’ Compensation Records.

Click Here For OSHA Violations Records.

“Gordon Smith’s conduct as a corporate citizen has been horrendous and is a legitimate issue that should concern every single voter,” DPO Chair Meredith Wood Smith said. “These injury reports are appalling. Apparently, Gordon Smith treats his own workers just as badly as he’s treated workers across Oregon and across the country. He gets an ‘A’ for supporting George W. Bush, but he fails at protecting his own workforce.”

At Least 623 Workers’ Compensation Claims Were Filed On Smith Frozen Foods, Garrett Packing, and Brittany Farming.

According to the Workers’ Compensation Division of the Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Services, at least 623 workers’ compensation claims have been filed by employees of Smith Frozen Foods, Garrett Packing, and Brittany Farming since 1989. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 31 Accepted Claims Were Fractures. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 31 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were for fractures of various kinds. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 11 Accepted Claims Were Amputations. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 11 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were amputations. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

• 5 Accepted Claims Were Chemical Burns. According to the Workers’ Compensation Division 5 of the accepted workers’ compensation claims were for chemical burns. [Workers’ Compensation Division Records, 1989-2008]

Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 101 Times For Worker Safety Violations Totaling Almost $20,000 in Fines.
Since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 101 times for worker safety violations totaling at least $19,750 in fines. In addition to the 101 violations and $19,750 in fines at least 5 OSHA violations were withdrawn and an additional $8,345 in fines were either withdrawn or lowered usually after being appealed by Smith Frozen Foods. [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 38 Times For Safety Procedure and Training Violations. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 38 times for safety and training violations. Examples of violations include “Lack of Procedure and Documentation,” “Untrained Employee in Hazardous Occupation,” “No Safety Minutes,” and “Untrained Workforce.” [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 7 Times For Guardrail Violations. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 7 times for lack of or inadequate guardrails. [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

• Smith Frozen Foods Was Cited At Least 9 Times For Exposing Employees To Dangerous Materials. According to Oregon OSHA records, since 1991 Smith Frozen Foods has been cited at least 9 times for exposing employees to dangerous materials or situations, including carbon monoxide. Examples of violations included, “Failure to report Injury and Ammonia Leak,” “Storage of Hazardous Material,” “Carbon Monoxide Exposure,” and “Worker Noise Exposure.” [Oregon OSHA Records, 1991-2008]

Discuss: Smith Frozen Foods: A Very Dangerous Place

Posted October 1, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

DPO Files Freedom of Information Act Request on Smith’s Taxpayer-Funded Contracts

Smith Refusing To Disclose Information on Recent Contracts

Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith is refusing to disclose information about taxpayer-funded contracts his frozen food company is receiving from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Due to his refusal to be straight with the Oregon public, the Democratic Party of Oregon today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the USDA for all correspondence between Smith and the USDA.

“Gordon Smith is refusing to tell voters that during his time in the Senate he and his company have been feeding at the public trough,” DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz said. “It is hypocritical for Smith to espouse conservative ideology and then benefit from taxpayer-funded contracts. During these trying economic times, most Americans aren’t getting that same kind of support from the federal government. Gordon Smith’s conduct as a corporate citizen should concern all Oregonians.”

The FOIA request letters will be mailed today to the USDA. They request any and all correspondence maintained electronically or in any other form by the USDA, between the USDA or any of its employees, officers or agents and Gordon Smith, any of Senator Smith’s employees, staff or agents, Smith Frozen Foods, Inc. and any employees, officers, representatives or agents of Smith Frozen Foods.

Smith’s Federal Contracts Have Tripled During His Time in the U.S. Senate

The FOIA request follows an article in The Bend Bulletin detailing how Smith’s contracts with the federal government have tripled since Smith joined the U.S. Senate in 1997. After earning $2.9 million before Smith entered the Senate, his company received 15 contracts worth $9.4 million from 1997 to 2001.

Smith Refuses to Disclose Information on Recent Contracts

In today’s story, Smith refuses to disclose information about two recent contracts – one in 2005 and a second contract signed as recently as this month.

Discuss: DPO Files Freedom of Information Act Request on Smith’s Taxpayer-Funded Contracts

Posted September 30, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Gordon Smith’s Golden Parachute

Is Smith Preparing to Write Two Checks? One for Wall Street and Another to His Campaign?

According to Gordon Smith’s latest financial disclosure, his annual income from Smith Frozen Foods inexplicably skyrocketed from less than $1 million to over $5 million.

The last time Smith reported earning more than $1 million from Smith Frozen Foods was in 1996, when he had two election contests for the Senate, and loaned millions of dollars to both campaigns.

“The last time Smith was taking this kind of income from his company he wrote a big fat check to his campaign,” said DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz. “Either there has been a run on frozen peas or Smith may be getting ready to write two checks: a blank check for Wall Street and one for his own flailing reelection campaign.”

SMITH'S BLANK CHECK FOR WALL STREET

Gordon Smith has stood with George Bush to foster a culture where CEOs run their companies into the ground and sail away with a golden parachute.

Under Gordon Smith and George Bush, CEO salaries increased in 2007 by 20 percent, while average real wages for the middle class have fallen. The gap between the rich and middle class is higher than at any point in the last 80 years.
[AFL-CIO, 4/13/08; Economic Policy Institute, 1/16/08; International Herald Tribune, 3/29/07]

SMITH'S BLANK CHECK TO HIMSELF

Apparently, CEOs on Wall Street aren’t the only ones profiting off the Smith-Bush economy. Gordon Smith has also found time to build a golden parachute of his own.

This is the first time since entering the U.S. Senate, Gordon Smith reported income from his company, Smith Frozen Foods, of over $5 million. Smith first reported his finances to the U.S. Senate in 1995, during his failed run against Ron Wyden.

Discuss: Gordon Smith’s Golden Parachute

Posted September 29, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Illegal Immigrants at Smith Frozen Foods - A Regular Fact of Life

Gordon Smith and his family have profited off low wage workers at Smith Frozen Foods.

A past investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service showed that most of Smith's employees were illegal immigrants.

Now, a newspaper report says there is still "ample evidence to suggest that the hiring of illegal workers is a regular fact of life at Smith's operation" today.

It's outrageous for Smith to claim as a Senator that he wants to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, while employing them in his own business.

For the full report, click here.

Discuss: Illegal Immigrants at Smith Frozen Foods - A Regular Fact of Life

Posted September 26, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Dangerous Carbon Monoxide Levels at Smith Frozen Foods

Management Resisted Correcting the Situation

A full scale Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) investigation of Smith Frozen Foods in 1998 found that the company was knowingly exposing their employees to dangerous carbon monoxide levels and refusing to address the problem. According to multiple complaints filed with OR-OSHA, workers at Smith Frozen Foods were nearly passing out due to the exhaust fumes coming from forklifts in the plant’s freezer.
[Memorandum in OR-OSHA File, 11/21/98; Notice of Alleged Safety or Health Hazards, undated]

“Gordon Smith’s record as a corporate citizen should concern Oregon voters,” DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz said. “He has endangered his workers, denied them fair wages and refused to provide them health care. Meanwhile he has received taxpayer-funded contracts and squeezed local budgets to pad his own bottom line. Smith cannot and should not hide from his conduct as a poor corporate citizen.”

A report prepared in November 1998 describes that OR-OSHA launched a full scale investigation after receiving complaints from workers at Smith’s company.

The complaint that triggered the investigation was made anonymously. A hand-written note in the file indicates that the complainant was “afraid of losing job over complaint.”
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

The notation also indicates that the company boss knew of the problem but “won’t take care of [the] problem.”
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Although the company admitted that carbon monoxides levels were high, they maintained that the workers were not in the freezer long enough to face real danger.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

After attaching their own dosimeters to two forklifts used in the freezer, OR-OSHA found carbon monoxide levels that were more than twice those reported by the company.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

The inspection found unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in other parts of the facility as well, including the dock, the office adjacent to the dock, and a small break room where workers could go to warm themselves after long periods in the freezer.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Forklift drivers at the company who displayed symptoms of exposure were never told about the chronic, long term effects of carbon monoxide exposure.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

According to U.S. OSHA, “acute poisoning may result in permanent damage to the parts of your body that require a lot of oxygen such as the heart and brain. Significant reproductive risk is also linked to CO.”
[OSHA Fact Sheet, 2002]

When OSHA took their findings to Smith’s managers the company said that addressing the problem “just wasn’t feasible.”

There was considerable discussion regarding the feasibility of addressing the carbon monoxide exposures. Mr. [Morris] Hansen claimed that it just wasn’t feasible to replace all of the propane fueled forklifts. My observation of the facility was that there were electric forklifts in other areas of the plant. I do not feel that there is a feasibility problem with this issue.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Following the meeting with Smith’s managers, Smith Frozen Foods was fined for numerous violations the following year resulting from its investigation of carbon monoxide levels at the Weston facility.
[OR-OSHA Investigation Report M7711-006-99, 11/19/98]

Discuss: Dangerous Carbon Monoxide Levels at Smith Frozen Foods

Posted September 26, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 1 comments

Smith Frozen Foods Received Military Contracts, While Gordon Smith Managed Company

Does Smith Receive These Contracts Today?

Documents reveal that before Smith Frozen Foods received a bounty of taxpayer money from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), it was reaping additional contracts from the U.S. military. In fact, as much as 10 percent of the company’s money may have come from the government.

“Gordon Smith never mentions his lucrative business relationship with the Department of Defense,” DPO Executive Director Trent Lutz said. “Gordon Smith should immediately disclose any contracts his company has received from the government, especially contracts his company has received since Smith entered the U.S. Senate. Smith should also disclose any role he had in lobbying for these contracts.”

In 2000, Smith Frozen Foods received more than $3 million from USDA (while trying to reduce its local property taxes by at least $300,000). But before that, it was getting contracts from the Department of Defense.

According to a memo from the U.S. Department of Labor written July 1991, while Gordon Smith was actively running the company, Smith Frozen Foods had received contracts from the Department of Defense. The information was taken during a meeting with Smith Frozen Foods officials David Jensen and Russell Krey. The notations on the memo indicate that government contracts comprised approximately 10% of the business.

According to the memo, “The company also has various government contracts with the military to supply canned and frozen vegetables to their commissaries.”

Discuss: Smith Frozen Foods Received Military Contracts, While Gordon Smith Managed Company

Posted September 25, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Video: Smith Frozen Foods

The following video is of Smith Frozen Foods in Weston, Oregon.

Download the entire 200 mb video in MPEG-4 format.
(Warning: may take 45-60 minutes at broadband speeds.)

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Posted September 24, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods, Smith Videos - 2 comments

Gordon Smith: Reaping Government Contracts, While Shortchanging Taxpayers

While Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith was protesting the property taxes at Smith Frozen Foods, he was feeding off the public trough, scoring a huge federal contract and benefiting from special infrastructure projects.

“Gordon Smith has been feeding at the public trough, while squeezing local taxpayers,” DPO Communications Director Marc Siegel said. “Smith’s conduct as a corporate citizen will raise questions from voters. His leadership of the company is consistent with his work in Washington, D.C. – putting big special interests ahead of Oregonians.”

In 2001, Smith Frozen Foods fought to cut its property tax assessments by more than half, ultimately saving Gordon Smith more than $300,000 and cutting the City of Weston’s operating budget by nearly 10 percent. Smith Frozen Foods claimed the business was less profitable.
[Statesman Journal, 8/3/01; The Oregonian, 5/12/02]

But that doesn’t square with the millions of federal tax dollars Smith Frozen Foods received just months before. In 2000, Smith Frozen Foods was awarded a $3 million federal contract from the Agriculture Marketing Service, a department of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Strangely, this infusion of federal money did not stop the company from claiming his business was less “profitable” months later.
[USAspending.gov, accessed 9/23/08; Statesman Journal, 8/3/01]

At the same time Smith was fighting with the state to lower his tax liability, he received $300,000 from the state for infrastructure improvements designated to help his company.
[Tri-City Herald, 12/21/02]

“Smith Frozen Foods began rail shipments from Weston, Ore., to Walla Walla this month, restarting rail service on tracks that had been unused for three years.

Shipping by rail will help Smith cut transportation costs and improve quality control on loads of frozen produce from its Weston processing plant, said Mike Hachquet, logistics manager.”
[Tri-City Herald, 12/21/02]

“Upgrading the rail line took about two months, McKechnie said. The Oregon Department of Transportation also spent about $ 300,000 on upgrading the line, he said.”
[Tri-City Herald, 12/21/02]

“Whether in Washington, D.C. or Weston, Gordon Smith puts his own interest above that of working families,” Siegel said. “He scored a federal contract worth millions, reaped millions for himself, but made families in Weston pay the price. Just like in Washington, D.C. where he stands up for special interests on Wall Street, while taxpayers are left holding the bag. Gordon Smith has just got it wrong.”

Discuss: Gordon Smith: Reaping Government Contracts, While Shortchanging Taxpayers

Posted September 24, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments

Smith Frozen Foods Got Tax Breaks, While Neighbors Did Not

Smith Claimed Tough Times, But Made Millions While Weston Took The Hit

Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith claimed that his company, Smith Frozen Foods, had fallen on tough times and fought for lower property taxes. But while he was begging for tax breaks that hurt the local budget in Weston, he was taking in millions for himself.

Smith Frozen Foods claimed that a downturn in profitability for the food processing industry necessitated that the tax liability for the company change. However, Lamb-Weston, a food processor that leases a facility next door to Smith did not appeal the value of its property. The current assessed value of Lamb-Weston's facility is nearly $5 million higher than Smith's main processing facility.

Smith saved himself at least $300,000 on his taxes.

During the years Smith Frozen Foods was appealing its taxes on the basis of a lack of profitability, Smith reported receiving up to $1 million each year from Smith Frozen Foods and between $1 million and $5 million of additional income from Smith Food sales. In fact, Smith's take exceeded the entire budget for the City of Weston.

In the end Smith saved himself at least $300,000 on his property taxes.

"Gordon Smith said he needed help because his company was hurting, but all the while he was making millions," said Trent Lutz, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Oregon. "This is typical corporate greed from Gordon Smith. He was willing to cut Weston’s budget to pad his own bottom line."

For three years, Smith Frozen Foods initiated several appeals in Oregon's Tax Court objecting to the valuation of its main processing facility in Weston, Oregon. Records on file at the Umatilla County Assessor's office indicate that Smith Frozen Foods prevailed in its appeal of the property tax assessments and lowered the assessed value of the facility by $9.2 million.

Year Original Assessed Value Post-Judgment Assessed Value
2001 $15,743,750 $6,500,000
2000 $15,228,840 $7,605,000
1999 $15,365,340 $8,450,000

These reductions allowed Smith to save between $100,000 and $200,000 per year for three years on his tax bill.
[Statesman Journal, 8/3/01]

Due to Smith’s legal battles, the current assessed value of the property is nearly the same today as it was twenty years ago.

2008 Assessed Value: $9,421,720
1989 Assessed Value: $9,397,580

The Oregonian reported that the City of Weston stood to lose 9 percent of their budget because of Smith's new tax value. Weston's Mayor Tim Crampton said that Smith's tax savings would really hurt the town.

"This is going to hurt us," Crampton said. "It's not something we can swallow real easily."
[The Oregonian, 05/12/02]

Discuss: Smith Frozen Foods Got Tax Breaks, While Neighbors Did Not

Posted September 23, 2008 in Smith Frozen Foods, Who Loves Gordon? - 0 comments

Smith Hires Undocumented Workers, Then Gives Them English Safety Instruction

Smith’s Workers Suffer Serious Injuries As A Result

Following serious injuries at Smith Frozen Foods, OSHA investigators revealed that the company’s predominantly Mexican and Spanish-speaking workforce was being given “safety orientation” lessons in English.

On Wednesday, some Oregon news media reported proof that Gordon Smith employs undocumented workers at his food processing plant, Smith Frozen Foods, in Weston, Oregon. The evidence, originally reported by Willamette Week, included five Smith workers “who are – or were – undocumented when they worked for Smith Frozen Foods or a second related business owned by Senator Smith…”
[Willamette Week, 9/17/08]

Read more and discuss: Smith Hires Undocumented Workers, Then Gives Them English Safety Instruction

Posted September 18, 2008 in Economy, Smith Frozen Foods - 0 comments