Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued over 20 citations to Pilgrim’s Pride, one of the largest poultry processors in the country, for violations of health and safety standards. Notably, OSHA took an important step to address the shoddy and dangerous medical treatment of poultry workers by citing Pilgrim’s Pride for failing […]
Agency cites poultry processor for worker safety violations Read More »
While meatpacking and poultry workers have to deal with crippling work speeds every day that cause high rates of devastating and permanent injuries, they also suffer other abuses and indignities at work which undermine their safety and health. One of the most common issues that workers consistently point to as a serious safety risk is
No Relief: New Study shows Poultry Workers regularly denied Bathroom Breaks Read More »
The Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center (NWAWJC) recently released a superb report on Arkansas’ poultry industry called “Wages and Working Conditions in Arkansas Poultry Plants.” The report, which examines a large industry in Arkansas – the state ranks second in the U.S. for broiler production– comes soon after an excellent report on the poultry industry from
Yet another worker survey reveals crippling conditions and abuse in poultry plants Read More »
Earlier this week, Nebraska Appleseed joined a coalition of 224 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups to file an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court. The brief urged the Court to review Texas v. United States, a case that has temporarily blocked implementation of the President’s administrative relief programs for those
Appleseed joins Supreme Court brief on deferred action Read More »
Oxfam America has recently released an expansive and troubling report on America’s poultry industry entitled “Lives on the Line: The Human Cost of Cheap Chicken”. (you can also read a pdf version of the report here) The report’s immersive website contains many eye-opening and informative web graphics and videos. The excellent report documents many personal
Tell large chicken companies that workers deserve safe conditions, fair pay Read More »
Earlier this month, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a study of a Maryland poultry plant which found that 34 percent of workers had carpal tunnel syndrome while an alarming 76 percent exhibited signs of nerve damage. As NIOSH noted in a blog post accompanying the release of its report, more
More evidence work speed takes crippling toll on meatpacking and poultry workers Read More »
This week, Nebraska Appleseed joined more than 150 civil rights, labor, and immigration advocacy groups in an amicus brief urging the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a harmful decision that temporarily blocked implementation of the President’s administrative relief program to keep families together. The brief highlights the benefits of administrative relief for our
Appleseed joins legal support for administrative relief to keep families together Read More »
Last Wednesday, ProPublica and NPR launched a detailed and extensive series on the troubling trend of states reducing workers’ compensation benefits over the past 10 years. These reductions – drastic in some states – have left workers who were injured on the job without support for medical treatment and recovery to get back to work.
Workers’ compensation cuts are putting injured workers into poverty Read More »
For those following the longstanding problems of high injury rates and relentless work speeds in meat and poultry processing, this may sound familiar. An important new article from The Nation, “Americans Are Working So Hard It’s Actually Killing People,” outlines how “the jobless recovery means massive speedups for many workers you depend on.” In industries
The Nation highlights the costs of massive work speed ups Read More »
Yesterday, OSHA issued 11 serious safety and health citations to Wayne Farms, resulting in fines over $100,000. The agency found that one of Wayne Farms’ poultry plants in Alabama exposed workers to dangerous musculoskeletal hazards and serious injuries, and failed to accurately record and manage injuries suffered by workers. OSHA documented what medical evidence, reports,
Federal investigation reveals plant routinely exposed workers to serious injuries Read More »