top lel capitalism: workers denied the right to bodily functions
Poultry workers are routinely denied basic needs such as bathroom breaks to the point of being forced to wear diapers while on the line, a new report claims.
The processing plant workers are mocked or ignored by supervisors when they ask to go to the bathroom, says Oxfam America, the U.S. arm of the global organization dedicated to solving poverty and social injustice.
As a result, employees "restrict intake of liquids and fluids to dangerous degrees; they endure pain and discomfort while they worry about their health and job security," the report said. The conditions are particularly trying for women who are menstruating or pregnant, the report added, citing unnamed workers who it interviewed over a period of three years.
The scathing report, released Wednesday, also alleges that employees wait for an hour or more in long lines to use the bathroom and risk getting punished or fired if they don't accomplish their work within a certain time frame.
"What would be shocking in most workplaces happens far too often in poultry plants: Workers relieving themselves while standing at their work station," the report said. "Too many workers tell stories about urinating on themselves, or witnessing coworkers urinating on themselves."
Some have "made the uncomfortable decision to wear adult diapers to work" to avoid having to ask to leave the line and risk being punished, it continued.
I'll bet it turns out that the diapers are reusable and the workers are washing them in the fecal soup :-D
dude lmao diapersfried chicken tastes good capitalism is great factory farming will save the planet Murrica free-est countrey
This is, of course, blatantly illegal. It isn't an unusual situation (Hickory Farms has just as bad if not worse a situation on the assembly lines that put together their very expensive holiday gift baskets), but it violates multiple sections of the Occupational Safety And Health Act, not to mention FDA sanitary regulations. It is a textbook example of why the US is too large (checking every business
once a year for OSHA violations would require the number of inspectors to increase at least tenfold, and FDA health inspectors are more likely to be checking storage temperatures and equipment cleanliness with the limited time they have) for laws alone to protect workers, and strong worker advocacy (generally in the form of labor unions, but low cost lawyers and whistleblower protections would help a lot, and making it illegal to hire somebody without a contract (in other words, banning at-will hiring) would go pretty far as well) is in the best interests of everyone.