September 1, 2011 - Midwest Coalition for Human Rights

The Midwest Coalition for Human Rights and Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest have filed a petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requesting an October hearing to address serious human rights violations suffered in meatpacking and poultry processing plants across the United States.

“For far too long, meatpacking workers have endured working conditions that violate their fundamental human rights and cause crippling injuries – with devastating effects on families and local communities, as well as food safety,” said Darcy Tromanhauser, director of Nebraska Appleseed’s Immigrant Integration and Civic Participation Program.  “Unrelenting production speed, alarming rates of injury, extreme temperatures, denial of bathroom use, and other supervisory abuse are conditions these workers face every day. We hope the IACHR petition furnishes the opportunity to raise public awareness and prompt proactive solutions by OSHA and Congress.”

Over the last 10 years, human rights and nonprofit organizations, the U.S. government, journalists, and unions have thoroughly documented the physical and mental toll the meatpacking industry has on its workers. The Midwest Coalition and Nebraska Appleseed have, through interviews with workers in Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa, documented and publicized ample cases of mistreatment in meatpacking plants. Despite such efforts, meatpacking remains one of the most dangerous jobs in America with one of the highest rates of injury in manufacturing. The meatpacking and poultry industry has failed to respond to the documented evidence of deplorable conditions, and the United States regulatory body that oversees worker safety, the Occupational and Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), has not sufficiently recognized the connection between production speed and worker safety. 

Since meatpacking companies recruit the cheapest possible labor in order to keep costs low, a disproportionate number of immigrants, minorities, and unskilled laborers are subjected to these substandard working conditions. It is incredibly difficult for workers to advocate for their own wellbeing due to an absence of unions throughout the industry, workers’ fear of reprisal from supervisors, and lack of knowledge among workers about their rights.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the inter-American system created by mandate of the Organization of American States that promotes and protects human rights. The Midwest Coalition and Nebraska Appleseed petition documents human rights abuses in meatpacking plants throughout the Midwest and asks the IACHR to 1) find that the unacceptable conditions of the meatpacking industry violate the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man (Article XIV); and 2) recommend the need for more specific and effective work speed and ergonomic regulations through OSHA.

Take action! Sign our petition calling on OSHA and the USDA to slow down meatpacking line speeds to protect workers' health and food safety.