Chapter 4: Conclusions

“I think it is a must that our wages increase because we are doing a hard work. . . . Everyone needs to know that the work that we do, so many people don’t want to do.” 
 — Arkansas poultry worker [117]

Based on survey results, workers in Arkansas poultry processing plants face a number of challenges, which can result in unsafe and unfair working conditions. These conditions put workers at risk, in addition to compromising consumer safety. Contamination of the poultry meat during processing is a serious problem, and one that has started to gain attention from the USDA and others. However, the risks and challenges faced by plant workers — and the extent to which some of these factors may contribute to meat contamination — has received far less attention. Discrimination based on race and nationality was a serious problem for survey respondents, along with widespread wage violations and lack of basic benefits such as earned sick leave.

Workers’ own opinions about their industry reflect this range of concerns. When poultry processing workers were asked what they would most want to see changed in their workplace, almost four out of ten (39%) said that their top priority would be an increase in their pay. Out of those surveyed, 15% responded that they would most like to have slower line speeds, and 5% said their top concern was improving health and safety. One out of ten (9%) said that they would most like to see a change in their supervisor behavior. One in three (30%) could not pick a single priority and selected several or all categories as changes that they would like to see.

The findings of our surveys and interviews suggest a need for comprehensive reform of standards in the poultry processing industry. This must involve higher standards for health and safety, including slower line speeds, in addition to improved wages and benefits for workers. NWAWJC findings also suggest a need for a concerted effort to reduce discriminatory behavior among supervisors and employers and create more opportunities for workers of color and foreign-born workers to advance into better jobs.

Recommendations

Policymakers should do the following:

1. Increase enforcement of wage and hour laws: Policymakers should increase penalties for wage theft and increase enforcement resources, to ensure that workers actually receive the pay they are due. This enforcement should include greater investigation and exposure of payroll cards.
2. Regulate and reduce line speeds to reduce injuries and contamination: Policymakers should pass regulations that reduce line speeds in poultry plants in order to reduce worker injuries and contamination of poultry that affects the health and safety of consumers.
3. Guarantee paid sick days for all workers: Forcing poultry processing workers to work while sick can result in the prolonging of worker illness, the spread of illness among more workers, and contamination of the meat. Arkansas should follow other states, such as California and Connecticut, and guarantee all workers the right of earned sick leave.
4. Explore measures to reduce discrimination and harassment of workers and increase mobility for workers of color and foreign-born workers: Policymakers should enforce antidiscrimination laws and explore other strategies to reduce racial discrimination and harassment, including increasing mobility for workers of color in poultry processing plants. Denying workers of color the opportunity to advance — and subjecting them to racial discrimination and harassment — reduces the viability and overall potential productivity of the poultry industry and thus the Arkansas state economy.
5. Facilitate workers’ ability to organize collectively for better working conditions: Producing so much for the state’s economy, poultry processing workers in Arkansas should be able to organize collectively and seek improved wages and working conditions without fear of retaliation. Policymakers can ensure that poultry processing workers have the ability to organize freely without undue influence or retaliation from their employers.
6. Ensure access to bathroom breaks to protect worker health and dignity: Preventing workers from using the bathroom can result in discomfort, humiliation, and even serious health concerns. Policymakers should ensure that all workers have adequate breaks to use the bathroom and that existing requirements regarding bathroom acccess be enforced.

NEXT: Appendix 1: Citations