Some workers at U.S. packing plants pay a high price for their jobs, says Harvest Public Media in a three-part series that starts today with new installments through Thursday. “Employees aren’t cattle going through the chutes,” the widow of one worker tells HPM. “They’re people with families.”
Federal fines for worker deaths and injuries are “embarrassingly low,” says a former Labor Department official. On average, the government proposes a fine of $19,340 per case, which is negotiated down to $10,993 on average, says Harvest Public Media. A new reporting regulation that took effect on meat processors last year found roughly 145 serious injuries that previously had gone unreported to work-safety officials.
The series will be aired on HPM member stations and available at the HPM website.