Final essay

TOPIC: In “Cogs in the Great Machine,” Eric Schlosser reports on the shift in the meatpacking industry toward a reliance on “the new industrial migrants,” noting that as meatpacking corporations reorganized they transformed what had been a “middle-class” profession into one that pays “poverty wages” or less (160). Discuss the impact of this system on the migrants themselves by focusing on one specific aspect of the problem, and then present your own solution.

"The New Industrial Migrants” written by Eric Schlosser (book “fast food nation” pg 160) , writer states that industrial owners hire immigrants to increase the growth profit of their business. The meatpacking jobs were usually given to the middle class American but now the jobs are mostly worked by none speaking immigrants. Writer further tells us about the beef plant Greeley and their majority immigrants workers. Arden Walker, the head of labor relation uses a technique where he hire new employee all the time. He states that since insurance are very high he tries to hire new employee because the insurance are not provided to the new employees. Further the company begins to recognize the lower wage immigrants.

Thirty years ago, meatpacking was one of the highest-paid industrial jobs in the United States, with one of the lowest turnover rates. Labor unions had slowly gained power in the industry, winning their members good benefits, decent working conditions, and a voice in the workplace. Meatpacking jobs were dangerous and unpleasant, but provided enough income for a solid, middle class life. There were sometimes waiting lists for these jobs. And then, starting in the early 1960s, a company called Iowa Beef Packers (IBP) began to revolutionize the industry, opening plants in rural areas far from union strongholds, recruiting immigrant workers from Mexico, introducing a new division of labor that eliminated the need for skilled butchers, and ruthlessly battling unions. By the late 1970s, meatpacking companies that wanted to compete with IBP had to adopt its business methods or go out of business. Wages in the meatpacking industry soon fell by as much as 50 percent. Today meatpacking is one of the nation's lowest paid industrial jobs, with one of the highest turnover rates. The typical plant now hires an entirely new workforce every year or so. There are no waiting lists at these slaughterhouses today. Staff shortages have become an industry wide problem, making the work even more dangerous. In a relatively brief period of time, the meatpacking industry also became highly centralized and concentrated, giving enormous power to a few large agribusiness firms.

In 1970, the top four meatpackers controlled just 21 percent of the beef market. Today the top four IBP, ConAgra, Excel and National Beef control about 85 percent of the market. While the meatpackers have grown more powerful, the unions have grown much weaker. Only half of IBP's workers belong to a union, allowing that company to set the industry standard for low wages and harsh working conditions. Given the industry's high turnover rates, it is a challenge for a union simply to remain in a meatpacking plant, since every year it must gain the allegiance of a whole new set of workers. In some American slaughterhouses, more than three-quarters of the workers are not native English speakers; many can't read any language, and many are illegal immigrants.

 Many of the poor workers are driven from places to places to work for low amount of money. Most of the ads that are put up for jobs in the US are broadcast in Mexico because the low cost of labor workers. The immigrants are not given health insurance, or vacations instead the worker with no money were put at a homeless shelter Works that are given to the middle class Americans are now given to poor immigrants. The reason for many owners to hire immigrants is because the immigrants get paid low for many hours of work and also because they health insurance are not given to them. Many of the owners tricks immigrant’s workers and sent to homeless shelter. Many illegal immigrants are brought to US to work for a very low amount of money. This job makes immigrants not have choice but to work because of the poverty. The owner of the companies uses their techniques into paying as lower as possible to their workers. An owner like Arden walker has a time limit for each worker than he can hire new workers so he doesn’t have to pay employee insurances.

The roughly estimated number of undocumented workers in the meatpacking industry ranges from 20%-50%. The increase of immigrant workers has occurred alongside structural changes in meatpacking industry. Many of the immigrant workers are from Latin American countries, while others are from Africa too. Permanent residency status, also known as having a green card, is allocated on the basis of quotas for each country of origin. The current yearly quota for Mexico is 20,000, while an estimated 202,000 undocumented immigrants came to the US every year between 1987 and 1996.Another option could be temporary work permit programs (H2) these work permits are designated for unskilled labor when no American workers can be found. There are two types of permits:H2-A: for temporary or seasonal agricultural labor (uncapped)H2-B: for temporary, seasonal, intermittent or peak non-agricultural labor, ideally for workers in grinding season (off-field work), and capped as 66,000 per year and more than 100,000 petition for those slots. Employers may also apply for a temporary labor certification, but mostly it is applied to skilled and professional workers. It is hard for low-skilled immigrant workers (especially from Mexico) to work legally under current US law for any purpose other than agricultural labor. While several programs have been proposed, none of them have passed Congress or become effective.

In 2004 US administration started guest worker program (similar to the Bracero program of the 1940s - 1960s). Under this proposal, foreign workers, including the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the US, could have applied for a permit to work for three years, but they would never have become eligible for legal permanent status or citizenship through this program. According to history the Bracero program took place between 1942 and 1964, some 4.6 million Mexicans were admitted to US to do farm work, many Mexicans returned year after year, but 1 to 2 million gained legal U.S. work experience. The Bracero program was small during the war years. Admissions peaked at 62,000 in 1944, meaning that less than 2 percent of the 4 million U.S. hired workers were Braceros.The U.S. Department of Labor relaxed regulations on Bracero housing, wages, and food charges in the mid 1950s, more farmers hired legal Braceros; admissions peaked at 445,200 in 1956. However, Braceros admissions began to fall in the early 1960s, when President Kennedy ordered the Department of Labor to enforce Bracero regulations. The November 1960 CBS documentary “Harvest of Shame” convinced Kennedy that Braceros were “adversely affecting the wages, working conditions, and employment opportunities of our own agricultural workers.” Farmers fought to preserve the program in Congress, but lost, and the Bracero program ended December 31, 1964.

In 2005 temporary visa program for low-skilled workers H5A visa program came to act by US administration. Some undocumented immigrants could have applied for legal permanent residents, after working for 6 years and paying taxes and fines. The 2006 Comprehensive Immigrant Reform Act (Senate Bill 2611) this bill proposed a three year temporary visa program with a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the US. It also included aggressive border enforcement measures, because if S.B. 2611 becomes law, Americans become victims of their own lawless country. They become victims of adding 100 million people to US. So after 30 hour of period debate the bill failed to pass conference committee.

US government rather then passing bills in congress to resolve the immigrant situation to be legalized is also doing raids in meat packing companies. These raids are being done to lessen illegal immigrants especially from meat packaging plants. Majority workers in these companies are illegal and this situation is growing on a large scale. Recently(October 7^th 2010), fifteen people were arrested after Maricopa County sheriff's deputies served a search warrant at a Phoenix meat packing business with employees suspected of using stolen identities. The company owner says” I lost one third of my working staff" but this raid raises the issue of crime being done by illegal immigrants also. A lot of illegal immigrants in US are related to crime also and they can not be traced due to any documentation. Crime, poverty, drug abuse, and homelessness have lately taken root in towns due to illegal immigration also.

           

Plenty of precautionary steps are taken about these situations but nothings promising. Immigrant problem can’t be resolved in a fast pace that’s for a fact. In my review it’s a monopoly state is playing to do the “dirtiest job” through lowest paid labor. Reasoning  is simple we the USA is a first world country and there is nothing possible we cant do, so if our state government really wants no immigrants taking over jobs it is possible, why with the pending bills and policies why no success? And plus plenty of Americans wont do what the immigrants are doing, therefore If I understand this little knowledge states knows this long ago, and that could be reasoning immigrant worker not being abolished, but it is possible.

            To end illegal immigration government must act strict laws for the companies who are hiring illegal immigrants. All the factories should go through regular inspection and if any illegal immigrants are found working the owner should be responsible with high penalties and should be fined. Deport immigrants who are found not documented. Extend the Border Patrol canine program and highway checkpoint system Increase personnel in Inspections, Intelligence, Border Patrol, and Detention and Deportation. Improve vehicle fleets of the Border Patrol, Investigations, and Detention and Deportation. Introduce new, up-to-date technology in Inspections, the Border Patrol, and Investigations, so less people could cross the borders.

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"Immigrants in Meatpacking | Midwest Coalition for Human Rights." Midwest Human Rights News | Midwest Coalition for Human Rights. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://www.midwesthumanrights.org/immigrants-meatpacking>.

Martin, By Philip. "The Bracero Program: Was It a Failure?" History News Network. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://hnn.us/articles/27336.html>.

"Frosty Wooldridge -- Repercussions of Senate Bill 2611." NewsWithViews.com -- Where Reality Shatters Illusion. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.newswithviews.com/Wooldridge/frosty211.htm>.

"15 Arrested during Raid of Phoenix Meat-packing Business." Arizona Local News - Phoenix Arizona News - Phoenix Breaking News - Azcentral.com. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2010/10/12/20101012phoenix-sheriff-immigration-raid-abrk.html>.

"FAIR: How to Stop Illegal Immigration." FAIR: Federation for American Immigration Reform. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=16669&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1007>.