Were Somali workers fired or did they quit?

A state unemployment law judge must decide whether about 40 Somali workers at a Le Center food manufacturing plant were fired or quit in a dispute over their clothing.

The workers say discrimination by Dianne's Fine Desserts led to their departure and therefore they're entitled to unemployment benefits. The workers say managers told them to leave the plant June 4 because the Somali women weren't complying with a new dress code that required their skirts to be 15 inches off the ground.

The Faribault Daily News reports a plant manager testified Wednesday he pleaded with the women to comply with the dress code, but they left the building. Testimony continues Thursday. The company revised the dress code after a Somali woman's skirt got caught in a boot washer machine in May.

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Information from: Faribault Daily News

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