January 26, 2007

 

US poultry industry may face lawsuits due to unpaid wages

 

 

The largest chicken and beef producers in the US could be affected as lawsuits are filed alleging unjust payment practices employed in the poultry industry.

 

A recent Supreme Court decision where industry workers not fully compensated may be given back wages for time required to be on the job has sparked claims from thousands of workers in the poultry processing industry.

 

The claims were to be handled by The Cochran Firm, founded by the late, famed attorney Johnnie Cochran. The Cochran Firm has filed suits representing clients in a multi-state area of the South-eastern US.

 

In the claims, employees said they were receiving improper wages and working under diseased, inhumane conditions.

 

Poultry plants are normally ill-supervised, says Robert Camp, a former poultry industry human resources executive turned worker advocate. Plants may have as many as 100 employees report to one supervisor.

 

Employees therefore are all paid the same number of hours each week, regardless of the actual time worked under a master time system. Master time was introduced to address the absence of managerial figures since in their absence time clocks cannot be monitored.

 

In 2006, nationally, plant workers were hired on average at a rate of US$7.89 per hour. The annual wage based on a 40 hour week averages US$19,600.

 

If workers' hours are recorded correctly, workers could earn an additional US$6,000 to US$8,000 annually, depending on their wage, Camp said adding that they must be properly compensated.

 

Employees in poultry plants, especially those in the southeastern states, are inhabited by employees that are exposed to long work hours, repetitive motion injuries, ammonia and CO2 leaks and floors slick with water and blood.

 

The poultry industry has the highest rate of safety incidents of all manufacturing industries in the country and even so it is said that most cases go unreported.

 

The majority of poultry workers are young immigrant males and turnover rates are generally at least 90 percent.

 

The poultry industry employs many Asian and Latino immigrants because a lot of Americans will not work in the industry, Camp said. He added that their wage rates are the lowest of all meat and food processing sectors,

 

Immigrants are also less likely to report safety violations, less likely to claim unemployment or workers' compensation benefits, less likely to participate in law suits, enroll in company benefits and less likely to participate in unions, he said.