The next destination on our walking tour is the Kayem Foods Headquarters. Located at 75 Arlington St, this factory is a longstanding representation of the important role Polish cuisine, especially crafted meats, hold in Chelsea and the Greater Boston Area. Originally constructed in 1970, the Kayem Foods headquarters stands as a leading hot dog, sausage, and deli meat brand. However, Kayem headquarters serves as more than a leader nationally. As the city with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in Massachusetts, Chelsea houses many immigrant laborers. Throughout the past fifty years, Kayem Foods has been an integral employer to Chelsea’s immigrant community. However, while the headquarters have proved beneficial to Chelsea’s economy, the workers have repeatedly expressed a need for safer working conditions.

 

While Chelsea’s population is majority Latino, workers of numerous ethnic backgrounds have rallied together to hold the company accountable for labor conditions. Beginning in 2002, representatives of the company’s Chinese, El Salvadorian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Vietnamese, Bosnian, and Polish employees have collaborated to unionize against the company’s majority white leadership for safer and cleaner working conditions. However, pro-union efforts have been met with an anti-union campaign organized by Kayem leaders.  In a 2003 letter to the President of Kayem Foods, the Chinese Progressive Associations Workers Center advocated for the laborers' pro-union drive efforts and asked Kayem leadership to halt the promotion of anti-union literature. While unionization efforts have not been successful, this destination on the walking tour illustrates how numerous immigrant groups have collaborated to advocate for the safety and health of foreign-born laborers residing in Chelsea, regardless of ethnicity.