The below information is intended to provide an overview of social, economic, legal and other issues related to meatpacking industry workers in the United States. It is intended to serve as a general introduction to the topic for someone with little or no background knowledge, with links provided to more in-depth sources for further investigation

Why Workers' Rights are Human Rights

 Applying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Meatpacking Issues

• History of Meatpacking in the Midwest
• Line Speed
• Work Safety Regulation
• Occupational Health Issues
• Working Conditions and Food Safety
• The Production-Consumption Chain
• The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW)
• Immigrants in Meatpacking

Immigration Issues

• Immigration Raids and Detention
• Postville Raid
• The Impact of Raids on Children

Relevant Laws

• Immigration Law and Policy

Policy Options & Other Solutions

• Nebraska Meatpacking Workers Bill of Rights
• Magen Tzedek: Ethical Certification of Kosher food

Learn More

• Advocacy Organizations
• For Further Information

This information was compiled as a Wiki for a class project by a group of graduate students who participate in the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. The information was first created in April of 2009 and is updated as necessary by the Midwest Coalition for Human Rights.

Students who contributed to this report include: Brook Bernini-Galup, Sarah Burridge, Aniruddha Dutta, Sinan Erensu, Mukhtar Gaaddasaar, Margot Goodnow, Ju Young Lee, Juliet Lyon, Waleed Mahdi, Phuthego Molosiwa, Frank Murphy, Abdul M. Omari, Karla Padron, Chris Strunk, Francis Tintani.

Articles were edited by Alyssa Erickson and Chris Strunk