Slaughterhouse Jobs: Human and Animal Rights Aspects
chicago.indymedia.org
O Anna Niemus
03 Sep 2011 01:52:22 PM

Chicago stockyards have been shut down... but Chicago is still involved financially in the human and animal fatalities of abbatoirs Slaughterhouse jobs are among the 5 most dangerous occupations in the world. They
have the highest turnover. Illegal immigrants are often hired by giant multinational corporations.

Mexican illegal immigrants have been replaced by Central and South Americans. Employees are kicked by terrorized animals, slip on the blood urine and waste on the slaughterhouse floor, contract ecoli (colon bacteria) diseases from the feces saturating the plant, develop carpal tunnel and other diseases from the constant cold, ear problems from the
high shrieks of animals being murdered., are struck by cranes and hooks, by loading machines. They cut themselves with knives and chain saws, are pecked by fearful
chickens.

Child labor and pay below minimum wage frequently occur. Unionbusters such as multinational Cargill (a Minnesota based corporation owned by a billionaire who has gobbled up slaughterhouses in many countries) seek to move jobs out of more unionized countries.

Just as soldiers constantly replay horrid battle scenes, workers
are troubled by nightmares of the animals' eyes, their innocent protests.

The world has been organizing against sweat shops. It is not just
clothing but meat (animal flesh), fish, wood etc. whose manufacture puts workers in danger as we realize the human as well as animal suffering involved in these products.

Jobs involving killing are dangerous in general, for instance, war, police work, fishing, chopping down sentient trees.

# A UFCW union steward has said that most worker accidents occur in slaughterhouses.

# Workers are kicked, bitten, and scratched pecked by terrified animals fighting for their lives unsuccessfully.

# Contract ear problems from the screaming and shrieking of the animals,

# Have problems with bones in relation to the cold storage rooms.

# Cuts, many fatal, from the metal machinery, running into computer line knives.

# Alcoholism and drug use from trying to deal with the animals' suffering they are constantly absorbing.

# In the US the reduction of OSHA staff and the use of illegal aliens to fill these jobs, some of the most unpopular in the industry, intrinsically means more accidents.

# Electrocution from machinery near liquid secretions.

# In slaughterhouses where pigs and
chickens are frequently scalded while alive (www.mccruelty.com www.kfccruelty.com) there are frequent burns for humans as well

# Open grease pits for blood, grease, feces, urine are traps for tired employees.

# There is ligament tearing in the back, shoulders, and arms from the lifting of 100 lb. or several hundred lb. carcasses.

# Carpal tunnel is a frequent complaint of meat cutters.

# The Reagan administration in the US doubled the legal speed of the meat inspection line. There was a consequent increase in accidents. Meat comes from decaying cadavers. Fresh meat is an oxymoron. Nonetheless, the speedup of the inspection lines causes many more tumor ridden carcasses to get through.

# Hiring of illegal immigrants in
slaughterhouses has meant less trained personnel.

# In fish slaughter, there are also bites, scratches, hook accidents, fishing line accidents, drownings and other trauma.

# Dr Owen Parrett MD has written extensively of diseases of socalled 'food' animals. It is not just through eating their corpses that these
diseases can be transmitted. The immune system of slaughterhouse, meatcutter, and other workers is assaulted by slaughterhouse fluids (blood, feces, urine, vomit).

# Slip and fracture themselves on blood, urine, vomit and feces soaked floors,

# Lung problems from constant exposure to feather dust (A Japanese movie shown on Bravo is a tale of peach trees cut down as their spirits speak to children.).

Workers respond either by quitting or desensitizing themselves to the suffering of the powerless animals. In 19th Century Britain, butchers could not sit on juries because lawmakers felt the job hardened the meatcutters. (Now many US juries include only the less sensitive half of the population, as those who do not believe in premeditated judicial, prosecutor, gubernatorial or jury murder (execution) are excluded
from juries.

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/d ... /index.php