- Published: September 17, 2022
- Updated: September 17, 2022
- University / College: University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 18
Reading Log Eight How many minutes did you write in your reading log? My challenging query is why there are no unions to champion the rights of meatpacking industry workers?
In the twentieth century many industries including the meat packing industry, overworked their employees, declined to maintain proper safety measures, and aggressively opposed unionization. It was only due to public pressure to Congress that resulted into the passage of the Meat Inspection Act to help in adequate regulation of the meat packing business, in addition to betterment of employee, treatment working there. Restructuring in the business of slaughterhouses, stockyards and meat packing resulted to relocating the facilities nearer to swine production farms and cattle feed lots, localized in rural areas, as the mode of transport changed from rail to truck. This made it difficult for labor unions to organize checks in these locations. Besides, quite a number of occupations were lost through technology changes.
Employees in the meat packing industry understand that it is important to champion their rights. Thus, in order to unionize meat packing employees and win considerable gains in wages and benefits can only be achieved through mobilizing the force of workers tactically positioned in the supply chain that provides the frozen meat packs to retail outlets. This, therefore, means a fight back against the meatpacking and trucking bosses to once more make those businesses strongholds of union power. However, labor traitors heading unions are pursuing a plan which will substitute direct organization of workers into unions. The plan entails forming alliances with alternative labor organizations, and community groups that systematize workers outside the joint bargaining package for betterment of working conditions and better pay.