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Reason For Hirring Illegals--Not Always Wages

Econ101

Well-known member
Workers unite in union drive at Tyson

Amid safety concerns, Holcomb employees will vote on whether to unionize



By Roxana Hegeman

The Associated Press

The Hutchinson News

February 15, 2007



HOLCOMB - Each day 150 semitrailers loaded with cattle arrive at Tyson Food Inc.'s Holcomb plant for slaughter. Each day workers here butcher 5,700 head of cattle.



And each day at least one meatpacker at the plant gets hurt on the job.



On the killing room floor, beef carcasses dangling from an overhead conveyor belt constantly stream past blood-splattered workers - each with a very specific job to do.



A worker slits the throats of one cow as its blood rushes down to the pit below him. One man skins the animal. Another worker disembowels it. On the processing floor, hundreds more meatpackers working in near-freezing temperatures carve the meat into the cuts that will land on grocery store shelves. And they do the same thing cow after cow until their eight-hour shift is done.



For years, the 3,100 workers who toil here have accepted injuries as a risk of working in one of the nation's most hazardous occupations. Now they are seizing upon those injuries to buck a trend of low union participation that grew as the nation's meatpacking industry consolidated and drew more immigrant labor.



Ramon Sandoval, a 63-year-old Tyson worker, grimaced as he tried to make a fist with his swollen right hand. Nerve damage from the repetitive work cutting meat has injured it, and the company has since put him on light duty.



"We are fighting for justice, dignity and respect," he said.



Adopting farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez's rallying cry: "Si se puede!" ("Yes, we can"), immigrant workers have now taken on behemoth Tyson. On March 1, workers will vote on whether to unionize under the United Steelworkers union. If they succeed, the union would represent 2,450 workers in Tyson's Holcomb plant, about 80 percent of whom are Hispanic.



The unionization vote is the second recent challenge these workers have mounted. In May, Holcomb workers sued Tyson, alleging the company violated labor laws by not paying them for time spent putting on and taking off protective equipment.



The workers face a formidable opponent. Tyson is the world's largest processor of chicken, beef and pork - employing 114,000 people at 300 plants around the globe. Human Rights Watch reports that about 30,000 employees in 33 Tyson facilities are represented by unions.



Union membership and wages in the nation's meatpacking industry plummeted in the 1980s amid plant closings, lengthy strikes and deunionization struggles, according to a study by the Agriculture Department's Economic Research Service. Union rolls had remained stable through the 1970s, but fell from 46 percent of workers in 1980 in 1980 to 21 percent in 1987, and has stayed at those lower levels.



Declining unionization coincided with changes in the slaughter plants' demographics, with immigrants from Southeast Asia, Mexico and Central America making up larger shares of the work force, the study found. The frequent movement of immigrant workers limited union opportunities to organize.



The Holcomb workers hope bringing in the union will help slow the production line to ease repetitive strain injuries, while getting them better health insurance and retirement benefits.



Workers last year reported 452 job injuries at the plant, in addition to the man who died in December after getting hit in the head by a large metal door, Occupational Safety and Health Administration logs show. While the reported injury rate at the Holcomb plant was higher than national averages, the company contended the number of serious injuries was far lower.



Nationwide, about 47,500 workers in the animal slaughter and processing industry were hurt in 2005 while on the job, a rate of 9.1 injuries per 100 workers, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. That same year, 13 workers were killed.



The number of injuries has fallen by almost 70 percent since 1990, when the industry partnered with OSHA and the United Food and Commercial Workers union to develop ergonomic guidelines, said Janet Riley, spokeswoman for the American Meat Institute.



But government statistics mean little in the day-to-day life of workers like Manuela Lujan. The 44-year-old Tyson employee said the vapors from chemicals used where she works are often so strong that her nose bleeds and her eyes water, and even at home she often cannot stop coughing.



Lujan added she is worried about a pregnant co-worker on another shift.



"She says she can't complain because she doesn't have legal work papers. What can we do? Nothing," said Lujan.



"Tyson feels they have a never ending supply of cheap, immigrant workers," said union organizer Mark Pitt. "Nobody holds them accountable, and they don't care."



Plant manager Paul Karkiainen dismissed the latest unionization issues as the "same kind of rhetoric" as a failed 2000 effort, when 78 percent voted against two other unions.



"It always makes it harder when you have someone trying to intervene between you and your employees," Karkiainen said as he proudly showed off one of the two medical dispensaries during a tour of the 1 million-square-foot slaughterhouse.



Karkiainen said the number of injuries at Holcomb seems high because the company encourages workers to report all injuries and it's one of Tyson's biggest plants. He contended that the rate of serious injuries is low, as seen by its lost time rate.



The plant has a safety committee, and every line has at least one safety committee member. Each worker is outfitted with $400 worth of protective equipment, Karkiainen said.



"Having a union doesn't guarantee you a good safety record," he said.



Tyson said it could not address the individual personnel matters cited by employees interviewed for this story since they are considered confidential. However, spokesman Gary Mickelson said Tyson routinely monitors carbon dioxide levels from the dry ice used in packing some meat products to comply with federal limits. The company abides by medical restrictions placed on workers by their physicians, he said, adding that Tyson has an open door policy and encourages workers to go to their supervisor or other manager if they have any concerns.



Back at union offices in nearby Garden City, Ricardo Pinto hobbled in on a crutch. He broke his leg in a forklift accident at the plant in October and now works in the laundry until he heals. The 55-year-old El Salvadorian immigrant has worked here for 13 years, and showed some old scars to prove it.



"We all think we are going to work here for a short time, but time absorbs us," he said.



Many immigrants are not concerned about pensions, health insurance or the future, Pitt said, because they plan to work here short term and return to their home countries.



Pitt says a lot of his work since arriving a year ago has been educating the immigrants on what a union does, and how they can stand up for themselves.



"It is harder because some of the workers are convinced this is sort of their lot in life here," Pitt said.



Former Tyson worker Gabino Martinez strained to stretch his arm as he recounted how a surgeon shortened his tendon an inch while trying to repair damage caused when a cow mashed his hand. The 26-year-old Mexican immigrant had surgery at 8:30 a.m., and was back at work by 4 p.m. with his arm in a sling because the company would not pay him otherwise. He said Tyson eventually fired him after he refused to move heavy carcasses against his doctor's recommended weight restrictions.



He lamented that the only jobs available to uneducated Latinos like himself are those involving physical labor.



"I feel impotent whenever I go look for work," he said. "They mention a physical exam and I just tremble."



On the Net:



Tyson Foods: http://www.tyson.com/

Steelworkers Union: http://www.uswa.org/usw/program/content/index.php

American Meat Institute: http://workersafety.org/



--



hutchnews.com
 

Brad S

Well-known member
let me get this straight, they are willing to go to all sorts of risks to take advantage of our great jobs or our jobs suck? the subset of A and not A is zero.

Poor guy has no skills, can't speak the language, and is persecuted because no one wants to hire him as an accountant. for shame!
 

Texan

Well-known member
Brad S said:
Poor guy has no skills, can't speak the language, and is persecuted because no one wants to hire him as an accountant. for shame!
Brad, are you talking about Econ? I'd have to disagree about him not speaking the language - I find him to be very articulate. :lol:
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Brad S said:
let me get this straight, they are willing to go to all sorts of risks to take advantage of our great jobs or our jobs suck? the subset of A and not A is zero.

Poor guy has no skills, can't speak the language, and is persecuted because no one wants to hire him as an accountant. for shame!

Brad, you really can't see the point, can you?

Local workers are being pushed out because these illegals will put up with more abuses because of their legal status. This reduces real wages/conditions for U.S. citizens.

I guess you and texan have a hard time with some things. They need to be spelled out to you. texan, please don't tell me you went to A&M. You have to be a teasip or something less.
 

Texan

Well-known member
Econ101 said:
I guess you and texan have a hard time with some things. They need to be spelled out to you. texan, please don't tell me you went to A&M. You have to be a teasip or something less.
I'll have to admit that I was wrong about you, Econ. I just knew that when you got out of rehab after Christmas and started posting again that you were going to be a new man. That you might actually contribute something to the boards other than your anti-packer, anti-business, anti-government garbage. WRONG!

I have a question for you, but the best I recall, you're not very good at answering some of my questions. For example, do you remember me asking you if you know the difference between a crack whore and an economist? And you scratched your head and scratched your ass and never could think of anything? And I was gracious enough to help you? Do you remember that? Let's review those answers briefly...

Difference numero uno) There is more demand for the crack whore.

Difference numero dos) The crack whore actually contributes something of value to the economy.

That's really all that I could think of. Have you come up with anything? Your own work, please.

The point of all this, is that I have another question for you but I'm not sure if you're worth my time. I think I'll give it a shot, anyway. I'm really skeptical, though...

Do you know what a repull is? That's r-e-p-u-l-l. Do you know? I really kinda doubt it, because it's clear that you don't know jackshit about cattle. But I felt that it was important to find out if you knew for sure because that is part of your next assignment and I didn't want you to become confused. Now here is your assignment:

Call your mental health professional and and have him contact the rehab joint that granted you an early release and tell them that they have a repull.
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Texan said:
Econ101 said:
I guess you and texan have a hard time with some things. They need to be spelled out to you. texan, please don't tell me you went to A&M. You have to be a teasip or something less.
I'll have to admit that I was wrong about you, Econ. I just knew that when you got out of rehab after Christmas and started posting again that you were going to be a new man. That you might actually contribute something to the boards other than your anti-packer, anti-business, anti-government garbage. WRONG!

I have a question for you, but the best I recall, you're not very good at answering some of my questions. For example, do you remember me asking you if you know the difference between a crack whore and an economist? And you scratched your head and scratched your ass and never could think of anything? And I was gracious enough to help you? Do you remember that? Let's review those answers briefly...

Difference numero uno) There is more demand for the crack whore.

Difference numero dos) The crack whore actually contributes something of value to the economy.

That's really all that I could think of. Have you come up with anything? Your own work, please.

The point of all this, is that I have another question for you but I'm not sure if you're worth my time. I think I'll give it a shot, anyway. I'm really skeptical, though...

Do you know what a repull is? That's r-e-p-u-l-l. Do you know? I really kinda doubt it, because it's clear that you don't know jackshit about cattle. But I felt that it was important to find out if you knew for sure because that is part of your next assignment and I didn't want you to become confused. Now here is your assignment:

Call your mental health professional and and have him contact the rehab joint that granted you an early release and tell them that they have a repull.

You seem to have some familiarity with mental health. Is that based on experience?
 

Econ101

Well-known member
Texan
That you might actually contribute something to the boards other than your anti-packer, anti-business, anti-government garbage. WRONG!

I tend to be anti packer because of what I see. If you are in the cattle business, you would be a fool not to do likewise.

I am not anti-business. I do see that labor (hard working men and women who earn a paycheck) have not done as well relative to capital. There is a continual push-pull between labor and capital. I believe that US workers should not continue getting the shaft from capital and that capital has been using illegal workers, and overseas labor to reduce costs, often at the expense of labor.

You have to recognize that business provides jobs but not everything good for business is good for jobs. You seem to have that a little mixed up.

Am I anti-government? Everyone should be to an extent. Do you want government to spend all the money in the U.S., do a poor job, and not enforce the laws that protect you as an individual or small business, and get the better relative pay than in the economy? If you are not somewhat anti-government, you might like what Putin is doing in Russia.
 

TSR

Well-known member
Econ101 said:
Texan
That you might actually contribute something to the boards other than your anti-packer, anti-business, anti-government garbage. WRONG!

I tend to be anti packer because of what I see. If you are in the cattle business, you would be a fool not to do likewise.

I am not anti-business. I do see that labor (hard working men and women who earn a paycheck) have not done as well relative to capital. There is a continual push-pull between labor and capital. I believe that US workers should not continue getting the shaft from capital and that capital has been using illegal workers, and overseas labor to reduce costs, often at the expense of labor.

You have to recognize that business provides jobs but not everything good for business is good for jobs. You seem to have that a little mixed up.

Am I anti-government? Everyone should be to an extent. Do you want government to spend all the money in the U.S., do a poor job, and not enforce the laws that protect you as an individual or small business, and get the better relative pay than in the economy? If you are not somewhat anti-government, you might like what Putin is doing in Russia.

Good post Econ! I don't think of myself as being anti corporate but without some types of checks and balances corporations will always exploit the worker--there has to be some common ground.
And I also agree that everyone should scrutinize our government policies, I think that this is what T Jefferson and the framers wanted Americans to do.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Population keeps changing to Muslims and Hispanics :roll: and we can all switch to goats ....Sometimes I think thats what the current administration would like us peons all to become- goat herders.... :cry: :mad:

---------------------------------------------------------

Woman starts raising goats for meat
Markets for goat, sheep grow with influx of immigrants
By JIM GRANSBERY
Of The Gazette Staff

The demand for chevon is outstripping supply in the United States, so a Laurel woman wants to be part of a new market for meat.

Chevon?

Roast kid.

Stacy Anderson has started a farm flock of Boer goats that she intends to build into a breeding and show project first, but eventually to produce goat meat for a growing market. Although chevon is not in local supermarkets, the influx of immigrants from Middle Eastern and Hispanic countries has created a demand for goat and lamb.

"The big goat producers cannot keep up for demand," Anderson said Thursday morning as the Montana Agri-Trade Exposition opened at MetraPark. The annual farm and ranch bazaar for goods and services runs through Saturday.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/02/16/news/local/20-goats.txt
 

mwj

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Population keeps changing to Muslims and Hispanics :roll: and we can all switch to goats ....Sometimes I think thats what the current administration would like us peons all to become- goat herders.... :cry: :mad:

---------------------------------------------------------

Woman starts raising goats for meat
Markets for goat, sheep grow with influx of immigrants
By JIM GRANSBERY
Of The Gazette Staff

The demand for chevon is outstripping supply in the United States, so a Laurel woman wants to be part of a new market for meat.

Chevon?

Roast kid.

Stacy Anderson has started a farm flock of Boer goats that she intends to build into a breeding and show project first, but eventually to produce goat meat for a growing market. Although chevon is not in local supermarkets, the influx of immigrants from Middle Eastern and Hispanic countries has created a demand for goat and lamb.

"The big goat producers cannot keep up for demand," Anderson said Thursday morning as the Montana Agri-Trade Exposition opened at MetraPark. The annual farm and ranch bazaar for goods and services runs through Saturday.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/02/16/news/local/20-goats.txt


OT I see you are ahead of the game. When I checked out your website I noticed you only mention your horses and not your thriving cattle enterprise. I guess maybe diversaty is not all bad :wink:
 

Econ101

Well-known member
TSR said:
Econ101 said:
Texan
That you might actually contribute something to the boards other than your anti-packer, anti-business, anti-government garbage. WRONG!

I tend to be anti packer because of what I see. If you are in the cattle business, you would be a fool not to do likewise.

I am not anti-business. I do see that labor (hard working men and women who earn a paycheck) have not done as well relative to capital. There is a continual push-pull between labor and capital. I believe that US workers should not continue getting the shaft from capital and that capital has been using illegal workers, and overseas labor to reduce costs, often at the expense of labor.

You have to recognize that business provides jobs but not everything good for business is good for jobs. You seem to have that a little mixed up.

Am I anti-government? Everyone should be to an extent. Do you want government to spend all the money in the U.S., do a poor job, and not enforce the laws that protect you as an individual or small business, and get the better relative pay than in the economy? If you are not somewhat anti-government, you might like what Putin is doing in Russia.

Good post Econ! I don't think of myself as being anti corporate but without some types of checks and balances corporations will always exploit the worker--there has to be some common ground.
And I also agree that everyone should scrutinize our government policies, I think that this is what T Jefferson and the framers wanted Americans to do.

T. Jefferson and many of the founding fathers distrusted government. It was so deep that the Bill of Rights had to be included to get a consensus of the 13 colonies to come together against the oppressive Brittish government.

People who blindly follow government and don't question it and it's powers are not the backbone of democracy, but rather, the achilles' heel.
 
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