Slaughterhouse accidents in the US- and unions

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
What's the problem? The free market will do its stuff in the end, and if the people aren't happy with the quality of the meat or the way it is prepared, they will go elsewhere.

If jobs are so bad in America, why have they got such high immigration?

Because conditions for the vast majority of people on this planet are abysmal...even these conditions are bliss in comparison to over 80% of the world's population. Does that demonstrate that the west is fantastically good or that the world on the whole is fantastically poor, especially considering the technology and resources at our disposal?

[Solly]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


Because conditions for the vast majority of people on this planet are abysmal...even these conditions are bliss in comparison to over 80% of the world's population. Does that demonstrate that the west is fantastically good or that the world on the whole is fantastically poor, especially considering the technology and resources at our disposal?

It shows that the workers in the slaughterhouses are willing to accept the conditions for the wage they are receiving.

[Dinner]

The very fact that wages have declined in the sector over the last 25 years and that native borns have exited the industry to such an extent that the meat packing companies must illegally hire foreign workers says something. Or rather the companies choose to break the law rather then pay higher wages.

There should be manditory jail time for CEOs of companies which do this and the fines should be so large as to bankrupt companies which deliberately break the law. Instead we currently give them a $900 fine. The bastards save that much in a few hours so why shouldn't they break the law? There currently just isn't a down side for them.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Oerdin
The trend goes up and down depending upon if Republicans are in office or not. FACT.

Essentially the unions are what maintained relatively high wages, safety, and working conditions so when the union breakers removed the union workers and replaced them with slightly above minimum wage worker safety and working conditions went to hell in short order. Lots of US media reports have shown that now 75% of meat packing workers in the US are illegal aliens while just 25 years ago 99% plus of the workers were citizens/legal residents and union members. The Republican Union breaking is what has brought us to this and the Republicans refusing to enact punishments for companies which hire illegal workers is what keeps it going.

Please compare this to the current Republican hysteria which calls for all dirty brown people to be deported, which attempts to make it a felony to work in the US illegally, but which does absolutely nothing to punish companies which deliberately hire illegal immigrants in order to depress wages and thus save money. Does that strike you as a tad bit one sided? Don't you think that if employers were meaningfully punished for hiring illegal workers (and thus not paying taxes) that they would be less likely to hire illegal workers?

According to the Republican politicians companies should never be punished, or at least only be given trivially small fines, while workers should be charged with felonies and placed in jail for years. That is insane and it is the Republican insanity which has brought us to this sorry state of affairs.

You're starting to sound as much like a raging commie as I do lately.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Park Avenue


It shows that the workers in the slaughterhouses are willing to accept the conditions for the wage they are receiving.

It shows that some workers, somewhere, are willing to accept almost any conditions to be able to even minimally feed their families.

[Apocalypse]

Maybe the Unions' pressures for higher wages and benefits made many slaughterhouse companies unable to profit, thus forcing them to hire illegal workers to make any money.

[Jon Miller]

Right, because companies are eager to pay more. I am sure it is the Unions faults that the slaughter houses are hiring illegal workers for asking for too much money.

Do you realise how rediculous your post is?

Companies are always eager to screw over people, that is what history has shown us over and over again.

Jon Miller

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Apocalypse
Maybe the Unions' pressures for higher wages and benefits made many slaughterhouse companies unable to profit, thus forcing them to hire illegal workers to make any money.

I find that doubtful given the amount of subsidies we give our agricultural sector and the resulting price declines from subsidy induced over production. Factor in that these meat packers are sitting on the largest meat consuming market in the world and we have high demand with low priced raw materials.

I doubt they're unable to turn a profit.

[chequita guevara]

The real problem for the industry is that American agriculture is so damned productive than in order to be able to make a profiit, Big Ag has to employ slaves. Food is cheaper than its ever been, we eat far more than we need, and throw away even more. It's the paradox of capitalism. The more productive you are, the less money you bring in.

[Jon Miller]

that is the reason why we should make food free, with the people who produce it supported by the government

JM

[Kuciwalker]

Isn't that about how it works already?

[Solly]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat


It shows that some workers, somewhere, are willing to accept almost any conditions to be able to even minimally feed their families.

I repeat, "they are willing to accept the conditions for the wage they are receiving". They aren't being co-erced into it.

[Skanky Burns]

Taking a moral stand sure makes starvation that much more bearable.

[pchang]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Don't you think that if employers were meaningfully punished for hiring illegal workers (and thus not paying taxes) that they would be less likely to hire illegal workers?

Please explain how employers are not paying taxes. Employers pay payroll taxes on the number of employees and deduct their withholding as well. Most illegals do not file tax returns and thus, do not get any refunds. In addition, they do not collect social security and medicare for the most part.

[Dinner]

It depends if the employer is having the illegal worker work under the table or not. Lots of illegals ask to work under the table so that they won't pay taxes while lots of employers want employees to work under the table so they won't have to pay matching fees for things like unemployment.