An Inconvenient Truth - jobs

[Guest guest]

At first, it seems like he may have a valid point in

mentioning jobs lost, but it doesn't take much digging

to find that this is not a valid argument.

Here is a quote from Diet for a New America by John

Robbins:

" The turnover rate among slaughterhouse workers is the

highest of any occupation in the country. The Excel

Corporation plant in Dodge City, KS, for example, had

a turnover rate of 43% per month in 1980 - the

equivalent of a complete turnover of its entire 500

person workforce every two and a half months "

 

and further...

" It is a terribly difficult atmosphere in which to

work. According to the US Labor Department statistics,

the rate of injury in meat-packing houses is the

highest of any occupation in the nation. Every year,

over 30% of packing-house workers suffer on-the-job

injuries requiring medical attention. "

 

There is more, but this is the basics, the facts. It

may sound outdated because John's book was written in

the 80s, but it's still valid. Do these sound like

jobs we need to be protecting?

 

From Answers.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/meat-packing, I found

more info. Here is an excerpt:

" At the end of the twentieth century, automation had

not replaced manual labor and the extensive use of

sharp knives and other hand tools. Workers were still

lifting and lugging heavy carcasses, abattoir floors

were slippery, and workers suffered from exposure due

to the need for continuous refrigeration systems.

Despite American Meat Institute (AMI) and Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, 36

percent of meat packing employees are injured on the

job each year. The meat packing industry still has the

highest injury rate of any U.S. industry. As long as

there is no economical and reliable cutting machinery

that can accommodate the physical variety of animal

carcasses, processing will continue to be a manual

operation.

 

In the early 1990s, the industry's rate of cumulative

trauma disorders (CTDs) was higher than all other

manufacturing industries. The illness usually took the

form of carpal tunnel syndrome, in which repeated,

rapid, and forceful motions pinch and compress the

nerve that runs through the wrist to the hand. Lower

back and various tendon disorders were also reported.

Underreporting of injury and illness still remains a

chronic problem, as the majority of the meat packing

workforce is comprised of illegal aliens.

 

Two of the nation's largest meat packers, IBP, Inc.

and John Morrell, were cited in 1987 by OSHA for

underreporting or failing to record injuries and

illnesses. Both companies contested the OSHA fines,

which were greatly reduced. "

 

And still more about current conditions (same link):

" Rapid consolidation put control of 80 percent of the

beef slaughter industry and 60 percent of the hog

slaughter industry into the hands of Tyson, ConAgra,

and Cargill. The top five beef companies (Tyson,

Excel, Swift, Farmland, and Smithfield) control 89

percent of steer and heifer slaughter. Despite the

large revenues of these companies (Cargill's sales

topped $50 billion in 2002), the profit margin remains

precariously thin, with expected profit levels running

around 2 percent. As a result, meat processing

companies look to cut costs and maintain the lowest

possible operating expenses.

 

As a result of the need to keep expenses low, the meat

packing industry has been a long-time opponent of

workers' unions and pays well below the national

average. Employing recent immigrants has become

standard practice. According to David Bacon in The

American Prospect, " Today, Spanish is the language on

the floor of almost every plant. Most workers come

from Mexico, with smaller numbers from Central

America. Refugees from Bosnia, Vietnam, and even the

Sudan are a growing presence in some areas, but the

vast majority of meat-packing workers are Latinos. "

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the meat

packing industry received negative publicity for its

employment of illegal aliens, as well as its dangerous

and low-paying working conditions. "

 

I'm sorry to make this so long. I just felt it was

important.

You can see after reading this why it is so important

for us to make sure we don't lose these jobs.

 

They say that if the slaughterhouse walls were

windows, everyone would be a vegetarian.

Even more proof.

 

Jen

 

 

<<This may be a duh thing to a lot of you, but how DO

you respond to the whole job argument? Someone told me

that once and I didn't know how to reply. I said it

would seem to me that the extra farming land would

help make up for those jobs, but I didn't know that

for a fact. >>

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

wow! Thank you. I just read " The Jungle " about 2 months ago. I think what

surprises me the most is how little has changed/progressed since then! It is

unreal.

 

Jen <thefourlakes wrote: At first, it seems like he may have

a valid point in

mentioning jobs lost, but it doesn't take much digging

to find that this is not a valid argument.

Here is a quote from Diet for a New America by John

Robbins:

" The turnover rate among slaughterhouse workers is the

highest of any occupation in the country. The Excel

Corporation plant in Dodge City, KS, for example, had

a turnover rate of 43% per month in 1980 - the

equivalent of a complete turnover of its entire 500

person workforce every two and a half months "

 

and further...

" It is a terribly difficult atmosphere in which to

work. According to the US Labor Department statistics,

the rate of injury in meat-packing houses is the

highest of any occupation in the nation. Every year,

over 30% of packing-house workers suffer on-the-job

injuries requiring medical attention. "

 

There is more, but this is the basics, the facts. It

may sound outdated because John's book was written in

the 80s, but it's still valid. Do these sound like

jobs we need to be protecting?

 

From Answers.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/meat-packing, I found

more info. Here is an excerpt:

" At the end of the twentieth century, automation had

not replaced manual labor and the extensive use of

sharp knives and other hand tools. Workers were still

lifting and lugging heavy carcasses, abattoir floors

were slippery, and workers suffered from exposure due

to the need for continuous refrigeration systems.

Despite American Meat Institute (AMI) and Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, 36

percent of meat packing employees are injured on the

job each year. The meat packing industry still has the

highest injury rate of any U.S. industry. As long as

there is no economical and reliable cutting machinery

that can accommodate the physical variety of animal

carcasses, processing will continue to be a manual

operation.

 

In the early 1990s, the industry's rate of cumulative

trauma disorders (CTDs) was higher than all other

manufacturing industries. The illness usually took the

form of carpal tunnel syndrome, in which repeated,

rapid, and forceful motions pinch and compress the

nerve that runs through the wrist to the hand. Lower

back and various tendon disorders were also reported.

Underreporting of injury and illness still remains a

chronic problem, as the majority of the meat packing

workforce is comprised of illegal aliens.

 

Two of the nation's largest meat packers, IBP, Inc.

and John Morrell, were cited in 1987 by OSHA for

underreporting or failing to record injuries and

illnesses. Both companies contested the OSHA fines,

which were greatly reduced. "

 

And still more about current conditions (same link):

" Rapid consolidation put control of 80 percent of the

beef slaughter industry and 60 percent of the hog

slaughter industry into the hands of Tyson, ConAgra,

and Cargill. The top five beef companies (Tyson,

Excel, Swift, Farmland, and Smithfield) control 89

percent of steer and heifer slaughter. Despite the

large revenues of these companies (Cargill's sales

topped $50 billion in 2002), the profit margin remains

precariously thin, with expected profit levels running

around 2 percent. As a result, meat processing

companies look to cut costs and maintain the lowest

possible operating expenses.

 

As a result of the need to keep expenses low, the meat

packing industry has been a long-time opponent of

workers' unions and pays well below the national

average. Employing recent immigrants has become

standard practice. According to David Bacon in The

American Prospect, " Today, Spanish is the language on

the floor of almost every plant. Most workers come

from Mexico, with smaller numbers from Central

America. Refugees from Bosnia, Vietnam, and even the

Sudan are a growing presence in some areas, but the

vast majority of meat-packing workers are Latinos. "

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the meat

packing industry received negative publicity for its

employment of illegal aliens, as well as its dangerous

and low-paying working conditions. "

 

I'm sorry to make this so long. I just felt it was

important.

You can see after reading this why it is so important

for us to make sure we don't lose these jobs.

 

They say that if the slaughterhouse walls were

windows, everyone would be a vegetarian.

Even more proof.

 

Jen

 

<<This may be a duh thing to a lot of you, but how DO

you respond to the whole job argument? Someone told me

that once and I didn't know how to reply. I said it

would seem to me that the extra farming land would

help make up for those jobs, but I didn't know that

for a fact. >>

 

________

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Let FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel

bargains.

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[Guest guest]

Ooooh, my goodness... I read The Jungle in high school, this was after I became

a vegetarian, and that was one crazy book!!!

 

L Friend <mountain_laurel1183 wrote:

wow! Thank you. I just read " The Jungle " about 2 months ago. I think what

surprises me the most is how little has changed/progressed since then! It is

unreal.

 

Jen <thefourlakes wrote: At first, it seems like he may

have a valid point in

mentioning jobs lost, but it doesn't take much digging

to find that this is not a valid argument.

Here is a quote from Diet for a New America by John

Robbins:

" The turnover rate among slaughterhouse workers is the

highest of any occupation in the country. The Excel

Corporation plant in Dodge City, KS, for example, had

a turnover rate of 43% per month in 1980 - the

equivalent of a complete turnover of its entire 500

person workforce every two and a half months "

 

and further...

" It is a terribly difficult atmosphere in which to

work. According to the US Labor Department statistics,

the rate of injury in meat-packing houses is the

highest of any occupation in the nation. Every year,

over 30% of packing-house workers suffer on-the-job

injuries requiring medical attention. "

 

There is more, but this is the basics, the facts. It

may sound outdated because John's book was written in

the 80s, but it's still valid. Do these sound like

jobs we need to be protecting?

 

From Answers.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/meat-packing, I found

more info. Here is an excerpt:

" At the end of the twentieth century, automation had

not replaced manual labor and the extensive use of

sharp knives and other hand tools. Workers were still

lifting and lugging heavy carcasses, abattoir floors

were slippery, and workers suffered from exposure due

to the need for continuous refrigeration systems.

Despite American Meat Institute (AMI) and Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, 36

percent of meat packing employees are injured on the

job each year. The meat packing industry still has the

highest injury rate of any U.S. industry. As long as

there is no economical and reliable cutting machinery

that can accommodate the physical variety of animal

carcasses, processing will continue to be a manual

operation.

 

In the early 1990s, the industry's rate of cumulative

trauma disorders (CTDs) was higher than all other

manufacturing industries. The illness usually took the

form of carpal tunnel syndrome, in which repeated,

rapid, and forceful motions pinch and compress the

nerve that runs through the wrist to the hand. Lower

back and various tendon disorders were also reported.

Underreporting of injury and illness still remains a

chronic problem, as the majority of the meat packing

workforce is comprised of illegal aliens.

 

Two of the nation's largest meat packers, IBP, Inc.

and John Morrell, were cited in 1987 by OSHA for

underreporting or failing to record injuries and

illnesses. Both companies contested the OSHA fines,

which were greatly reduced. "

 

And still more about current conditions (same link):

" Rapid consolidation put control of 80 percent of the

beef slaughter industry and 60 percent of the hog

slaughter industry into the hands of Tyson, ConAgra,

and Cargill. The top five beef companies (Tyson,

Excel, Swift, Farmland, and Smithfield) control 89

percent of steer and heifer slaughter. Despite the

large revenues of these companies (Cargill's sales

topped $50 billion in 2002), the profit margin remains

precariously thin, with expected profit levels running

around 2 percent. As a result, meat processing

companies look to cut costs and maintain the lowest

possible operating expenses.

 

As a result of the need to keep expenses low, the meat

packing industry has been a long-time opponent of

workers' unions and pays well below the national

average. Employing recent immigrants has become

standard practice. According to David Bacon in The

American Prospect, " Today, Spanish is the language on

the floor of almost every plant. Most workers come

from Mexico, with smaller numbers from Central

America. Refugees from Bosnia, Vietnam, and even the

Sudan are a growing presence in some areas, but the

vast majority of meat-packing workers are Latinos. "

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the meat

packing industry received negative publicity for its

employment of illegal aliens, as well as its dangerous

and low-paying working conditions. "

 

I'm sorry to make this so long. I just felt it was

important.

You can see after reading this why it is so important

for us to make sure we don't lose these jobs.

 

They say that if the slaughterhouse walls were

windows, everyone would be a vegetarian.

Even more proof.

 

Jen

 

<<This may be a duh thing to a lot of you, but how DO

you respond to the whole job argument? Someone told me

that once and I didn't know how to reply. I said it

would seem to me that the extra farming land would

help make up for those jobs, but I didn't know that

for a fact. >>

 

________

Finding fabulous fares is fun.

Let FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel

bargains.

http://farechase./promo-generic-14795097

 

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