The Hands That Feed Us

7/29/2019 The Hands That Feed Us

1/92

B y T h e F o o d C h a i n W o r k e r s a l l i a n C e

J 6, 2012

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f O r W O r k e r s a l O n g t h e f O O d C h a i n

the hands that feed us

FOOD CHAINWORKERS ALLIANCE

www.foodchainworkers.org


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Cover Photos Let to r ight

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3/92

B y T h e F o o d C h a i n W o r k e r s a l l i a n C e

C h a l l e n g e s a n d O p p O r t u n i t i e s

f O r W O r k e r s a l O n g t h e f O O d C h a i n

the hands that feed us


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table Of COntents

9

23

37

49

63

77

80

82

Chapter I. iNtroDUCtioN aND overvieW o the ooD sYsteM

Chapter II. the Workers

Chapter III. the Workers Part ii: oCCUPatioNaL segregatioN

& ChaLLeNges or Career MobiLitY

Chapter IV. the eMPLoYers

Chapter V. the CoNsUMers

Chapter VI. PoLiCY reCoMMeNDatioNs

aPPeNDix

eNDNotes

fd Cn Wk allnc, 2012.


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Te sustainability and prosperity o the United States ood system

is critical to the health and prosperity o workers, employers, and

consumers nationwide. In addition to eeding the nation, the U.S.

ood system is a large and growing segment o the U.S. economy

and an increasingly important provider o jobs. Te ood production,processing, distribution, retail, and service industries collectively sell

over $1.8 trillion dollars in goods and services annually, accounting

or over 13 percent o the United States Gross Domestic Product.*

Core ood occupations and industries include armworkers (pro-

duction), slaughterhouse and other processing acilities workers

(processing), warehouse workers (distribution), grocery store work-

ers (retail), and restaurant and ood service workers (service). While

there are other workers involved in the ood system, in this report

we ocus on these ve core segments o the ood chain. Tese par-

ticular segments employ in total approximately 20 million workers

(19,980,227), who constitute one in ve private sector workers and

one-sixth o the nations entire workorce.

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Using multiple data sources and methods, this study examines wages and working conditions across the ood system,

advancement opportunities or workers, and potential opportunities or consumers and employers to improve prospects

or ood workers. Tese are critical questions or the uture o all the ood systems stakeholdersincluding workers,

employers, and consumers. Tis executive summary highlights the reports key ndings.

the WOrkers: lOW standards, pOtential MObilitY

Tere are some livable wage jobs and outstanding employers throughout the ood system that acilitate worker advance-

ment and sustainable working conditions. However, most jobs in the ood system provide low wages with little access to

health benets and opportunities or advancement. Only 13.5 percent o all ood workers surveyed or this report earned

a livable wage.

Universally Poor Wages & Working Conditions

More than 86 percent o workers surveyed reported earning low or poverty wages. Ironically, ood workers ace higher

levels o ood insecurity, or the inability to aord to eat, than the rest o the U.S. workorce. In act, ood system workers

use ood stamps at double the rate o the rest o the U.S. workorce. Tey also reported working in environments with

health and saety violations, long work hours with ew breaks, and lack o access to health benets. able 1 reveals someo the data reported by the more than 600 ood system workers surveyed or this report.

Potential Mobility

Some segments o the ood chain do have greater potential than others or career advancement to livable wage jobs, particu-

larly in restaurants, grocery stores, and ood and meat processing. Within these segments, the potential or advancement

within one particular rm is more accessible than in others. However, actual mobility is limited, and discrimination and

segregation concentrate people o color and immigrants in the lowest-paying positions.

f.2 fOOd sYsteM WOrkers as a perCentage Of the u.s. WOrkfOrCe 2010

suc: 2010 buu L sc occupnl emplymn sc (bLs oes) ll c cp d c.d sc u clculn d n 2010 d m U.s. Dpmn L buu L sc, 2007 U.s.

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4

W a G e S

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35% Ud mncy m pmy c

L a C k o M o B I L I t y

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74% N nn j nn y mply

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t.1 Wages & WOrking COnditiOns fOr fOOd Chain WOrkers


9/92

Until there is signicant improvement in job quality, the limits

on career mobility and promotion are signicant. Te act that 86.5

percent o the workers we surveyed reported earning low, poverty, or

subminimum wages means that or most o these workers, upward

mobility in the ood system will require liting standards system-wide.

the eMplOYers

We interviewed 47 small to mid-size ood system employers. Many

employers stated that competition with large ood corporations creat-

ed more challenges or business success than the economic downturn.

Tese challenges included pricing. Several employers said that they

maintained their business in the ace o competition by ocusing on

niche markets, particularly providing local, sustainable, and organic

products, and by lowering labor costs, to the detriment o workers.

Most employers agreed that providing better wages, working con-

ditions, and advancement opportunities decreases worker turnover

and increase productivity. However, many admitted to not actually

engaging in these practices. Nevertheless, the act that employers agree

in principle indicates that there is potential or industry change, and

potential demand rom employers or greater tools, incentives, and

training to improve wages and working conditions in the ood sys-

tem. In act, there are outstanding employers in every segment o

the ood chain, demonstrating that taking the high road to prot-

abilitynamely providing livable wages, working conditions, and

advancement opportunitiesis possible.

the COnsuMers: COst & engageMent

Without a sustainable wage oor or basic benets such as paid sick

days or all workers in the ood system, we put the nations ood sup-

ply at tremendous risk on a daily basis. Given the size o the industry

and its impact on our nations economy, ood security, and public

health, it is imperative that wages and working conditions improve

or the 20 million workers in all segments o the chain. Our research

shows that:

Due t a lac f sic days prided by emplyers, mre than half

(53%) o the workers surveyed reported picking, processing, sell-

ing, cooking and serving ood while sick, an average o at least

three days per year.

Due t a lac f emplyer-prided health benets, mre than ne

third o all workers surveyed (34.8%) report using the emergency

room or primary health care. In addition, 80 percent o these

workers are unable to pay or such care.

Furthermre, ien lw waes, fd system wrers use public

assistance at higher rates than the rest o the U.S. workorce.

27.8

2%

19.3

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3.6

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Food SyStem

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on

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suc: bLs oes 2010

use Of publiC assistanCe

bY fOOd sYsteM WOrkers

V. u.s. WOrkfOrCe, 2010

f.3


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6

Potential or ConsUMer intervention

Te ood system holds tremendous potential to engage consumers o the nations ood supply and employers o small

and mid-size ood enterprises to help create the necessary policy changes to raise basic standards or workers throughou

the ood system.

Intense corporate conglomeration in every segment o the ood chain has greatly diminished the quality and biodi

versity o our ood. In interviews, small and mid-size ood enterprises reported that market consolidation has also created

unsustainable competition or them. Corporate consolidation has also contributed to unsustainably low wages and benets

or ood system workers, in both large corporations and small to mid-size businesses struggling to compete.

Largely in response to this corporate consolidation, consumers have engaged directly and vocierously over the last

ten years in support o small arms and sustainable and locally-grown ood, resulting in the industry taking strides to

address these concerns, as reported by employers we interviewed. In addition, the supply and purchase o ood present

the opportunity to link working conditions to unique policy levers. Procurement regulations, liquor licenses, and ood

safety licenses culd help lift standards fr wrers acrss the fd system. Fr example, sme lcalities are seein t use

the liquor licensing process to regulate ood businesses on both employment practices and the provision o unspoiled

healthy ood, building coalitions o ood justice and labor organizations. Tese unique policy levers, combined with the

examples o previous successul consumer engagement in the ood system, demonstrate the potential to engage consumer

and small and mid-size employers on policy issues that will lit wages and working conditions or the 20 million workers

in the ood system.

pOliCYMakers shOuld:

1 Increase the minimum wage, including the minimum wage or tipped workers.

2 Reduce occupational segregation or ood chain workers by working with employers to develop greater

pathways or career mobility within the ood system.

3 Improve ood saety and the publics health by guaranteeing ood system workers health benets such a

paid sick days and access to health care.

4 Increase penalties or ood system employers who engage in exploitation, including wage thet, especially

through regulatory levers such as liquor licenses.

5 Address the serious health and saety risks imposed upon workers in the ood system, including providing

workers with adequate rest breaks.

6 Guarantee workers in the ood system the right to organize, and protect against retaliation or organizing

7 Ensure that institutional procurement policies and governmental subsidies and loan programs include labor

standards and worker protections.

8 Initiate and support urther study and dialogue, especially on potential career pathways or workers in the

ood system and the consumer impact o ood system workers wages and working conditions.


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MethOdOlOgY

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COnsuMers shOuld:

1 Support responsible ood system employers who are providing livable wages, benets, and advancement

opportunities or all workers, and who provide sustainable ood.

2 Speak to employers with every purchase o ood or restaurant visit and let them know consumers care

about livable wages, benets, and opportunities or people o color, women, and immigrants to advance

in the ood system.

3 Where workers have led legal charges or have a campaign against exploitation in ood enterprises, call thecompany to let them know that they will not support such illegal practices.

4 Let policymakers know that consumers will not tolerate poverty wages, lack o basic health benets, includ-

ing paid sick days, and wage thet in the ood system.

5 Help educate other consumers and ood justice advocates about the need to include sustainable working

conditions or ood workers within the denition o sustainable ood.

eMplOYers shOuld:

1 Permanently enhance job quality by increasing wages and benets.2 Adopt systematic and air hiring and promotion practices.

3 Adopt and clearly communicate company policies and procedures, including anti-discrimination and

harassment policies, to protect the well being o all workers.

4 Adopt benets, such as paid sick days, that would allow employees to care or themselves and their amilies.

5 Understand and ollow equal opportunity laws and techniques that successul ood system employers use

to implement livable wages, benets, and career ladders.

6 Respect the internationally recognized workers right to reedom o association and collective bargaining.


12/92


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Te sustainability and prosperity o the United States ood system is critical to thehealth and prosperity o workers, employers, and consumers nationwide. Tis report

ocuses on the 20 million workers in ve key segments o the ood chain: production,

processing, distribution, retail, and service. Despite the act that there are some livable

wage jobs, a ew outstanding employers in every segment o the ood chain, and certain

sectors that oer a potential career path, the ood system generally oers low wages and

poor working conditions, with potentially great impact on the consumer.

Tis report describes challenges and opportunities or each o these three stakehold-

ers in the ood systemworkers, employers, and consumers. Chapter I gives a brie

overview o the ood system and describes the methodology used in this study. Chapter

II delves into the many challenges that ood workers ace in the workplace. Chapter

III urther explores the potential or career mobility or these workers to advance to

livable wage jobs in the ood system. Chapter IV provides employer perspectives, and

Chapter V describes implications or consumers as well as opportunities or consumer

engagement. Chapter VI nishes by providing concrete policy recommendations or

policymakers, consumers, and employers to promote a more sustainable ood system.

Methodology

Tis report draws upon government data gathered rom the U.S. Department o Labor,

Bureau o Labor Statistics and rom the Current Population Survey (CPS), as well as

rom numerous secondary sources. Te report also draws upon original data629

surveys o workers across the ood chain and 47 interviews with ood employers in

regions across the United States. Te surveys and interviews were conducted by 11

member ranizatins f the Fd Chain Wrers AllianceBrandwrers Interna-

tinal, CATA the Farmwrers Supprt Cmmittee, Center fr New Cmmunity,

Coalition o Immokalee Workers, Northwest Arkansas Workers Justice Center, Res-

taurant Opportunities Centers United, Restaurant Opportunities Center o New York,

UFCW Lcal 1500, UFCW Lcal 770, Warehuse Wrers fr Justice, and UNITE

HERE. (See sidebox or organizational descriptions).

the fOOd sYsteM: a signifiCant and grOWing seCtOr

Te ood system is a large and growing segment o the U.S. economy. Te industries

o ood production, processing, distribution, retail and service collectively sell over

$1.8 trillion dollars in goods and services annually, accounting or over 13 percent

o the United States Gross Domestic Product.3 Core ood occupations and industries

include armworkers (production), slaughterhouse and other processing acilities work-

ers (processing), warehouse workers (distribution), grocery store workers (retail), and

restaurant and ood service workers (service). While there are other workers involved

i. intrOduCtiOn and OVerVieWOf the fOOd sYsteM

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15/92

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16/92

12

in the ood system, in this report we ocus on these ve core segments o the ood chain.Besides providing the nations ood supply, one o the ood systems most important contributions to the nation

ecnmy is the millins f jb pprtunities and career ptins it prides (See Fiure 1). e e sements cered in

this report employ approximately 20 million workers (19,980,227), who are one in ve American private sector workers

and ully one sixth o the nations entire workorce.4

Some segments o the ood chain, such as ood retail and service, have outpaced all other private sector growth and

hae pren rbust een durin the recent ecnmic recessin (See Fiure 2).

Since ormal credentials are not a requirement or the majority o ood system jobs, the ood system provides employ-

ment opportunities or new immigrants, workers who have no ormal qualications, and young people just starting out

in the workorce.

f 2 fOOd sYsteM WOrkers as a perCentage Of the u.s. WOrkfOrCe 2010

suc: 2010 buu L sc occupnl emplymn sc (bLs oes) ll c cp d c.d sc u clculn d n 2010 d m U.s. Dpmn L buu L sc, 2007 U.s.Dpmn aculu Cnu aculu, nd 2009 U.s. Cnu u n nduy mplymn num.

20%

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ortation

fOOd retail & serViCe JOb grOWth & tOtal priVate seCtOr JOb grOWth 1990-2011f 3

suc: buu L sc,Cun emplymn sc

135%

130%

125%

120%

115%

110%

105%

100%

95%

90%

Private Sector

emPloyment groWtH

Food retail & Food Service

job groWtH

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011


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1

histOrY and baCkgrOund On the natiOns fOOd sYsteM:

COrpOrate COnsOlidatiOn & COnsuMer respOnse

CorPorate Consolidation

Te nations ood system has become increasingly consolidated over the last 150 years. Tis trend can be traced back to

the industrial revolution. Between 1880 and World War I, technology led to the consolidation o the ood industry and

a movement away rom eating locally grown and produced oods. Te expansion o the railroad system, the invention

o the rerigerated train car, the use o steam in the processing o ood, and the evolution o the assembly line all led toa ood industry that could be consolidated regionally as well as preserve oods to signicantly increase their shel lie.

Consumers were introduced to a marketplace that was resplendent with new oods or ones that were now available year

round. By linking the east and west coasts, ood could now be transported long distances relatively quickly. With the

introduction o the rerigerated railcar, the meat industry was consolidated in the Midwest and shipped meats east, west,

and south. While local butchers broke the meat down, cattle and hogs were slaughtered in Chicago, which poet Carl

Sandburg named the hog butcher to the world.5 Local grocers began to stock their shelves with more canned goods

and less resh produce. Te ood industrys innovations unctioned to consolidate growing and producing, but also to

inuence consumer demand. As consumers produced less at home and depended more on the local grocer, trends in the

industry began to dene consumer demand.6

b 1900, u cu w pc U s mucu c.7 By 1910, a

sinle machine culd turn ut 35,000 cans a day. Fd prcessrs emplyed mre than 68,000 wrers wh prduced

over 3 billion cans o ood annually.8 Only a handul o corporations dominated the three core sectors o the industry

meatpacking, our milling, and sugar rening.9 Rather than balk at ederal regulation, the ood industry used new regu-

latins such as the U.S. Meat Inspectin stamp and the Pure Fd and Dru Act t prmte the purity, whlesmeness

and host labeling o their products.10 Meanwhile, muckraking journalists such as Upton Sinclair revealed meatpackers

actual working conditions.11 However, the publics reaction ocused on the unsanitary conditions o their ood with little

notice to the poor working conditions. Ater the publication o his book Te Jungle, a novel about immigrant workers

in Chicagos meatpacking industry at the turn o the 20th century, Sinclair stated, I aimed at the publics heart and by

accident hit its stomach.12

In the twentieth century, corporate consolidation grew with increased government support. During World War I, the

U.S. government expanded their interest in ood production and nutrition. Promoting ood conservation days such as

wheatless and meatless days during WWI, the act o eating became a patriotic duty. Te government began to establish

agencies that brought private industry including ood processors and distributors along with researchers and academics

into close collaboration with the government. Tese collaborations were urther cemented during the Roosevelts New

Deal era. Te government began to pay subsidies to bee and pork armers in exchange or limiting production. Te price

o meat began to skyrocket. In 1935, angry housewives travelled to Washington, DC and demanded to see Secretary o

Agriculture Wallace. Why does the government pay armers not to raise little pigs? demanded Mary Zuk, a Detroit

housewie and leader o the national meat boycott. While the collaborations were not called o, consumer agitation such

as the 1935 meat boycotts shed light on the act that U.s. m w p c m c

puc u. In act, the 1946 creation o the National School Lunch Program is one o

the mst damnin examples f the pwer f cnslidated ariculture in the U.S.. Fr nutritinists and hme ecnmists,the impetus to establish a school lunch program subsidized by the ederal government was to ensure that United States

children were guaranteed at least one healthy meal per day regardless o their ability to pay. However, w

cuu cm pp c uc pm ppu ump upu .

As Susan Levine has written in her books on school lunches, u cm mp pc m u

w pc m pc amc c m m.

Writer Michael Pollan recently shed light on one o the most notable examples o government support or corporate

consolidation in the ood systemthe corn industry. Starting in 1960, ood scientists discovered how to develop a


18/92

14

large number o corn-based byproducts including high ructose corn syrup. Within a

decade, the versatility o corn prompted the USDA to oer direct subsidies to armer

who grew more corn. Over the last decade, the ederal government has poured more

than $50 billion into the corn industry. Tese subsidies have had a direct impact on

the nations health; United States residents consume 83 additional calories a day rom

sweeteners alne, with hih fructse crn syrup (HFCS) accuntin fr 81 percent

those calories. Te annual per-capita consumption o caloric sweeteners has increased

by 40 pounds in the last 40 years. A recent study by researchers at uts University

examined hw much cheaper HFCS was between 1997-2005 because crn prices fel

belw crns cst f prductin as a result f the 1996 Farm Bill, which ended prduc -

tion controls in ederal commodity programs. T ccu U.s. m

pc fc w c pc hCs puc c, f

hCs puc mpc u $243 m , $2.2

- p, $4 c 1986.

Overall, ederal subsidies related to ood production rom 1995-2010 totaled

$261.9 billion.21 Tis includes subsidies or commodities such as corn, and soy

crop insurance, conservation, and disaster. However, 62 percent o arms in the U.S

did not receive a subsidy, while 10 percent collected 74 percent o all subsidies.22

As a result o this kind o direct government support and subsidy, corporate

consolidation can be seen in every segment o the ood chain. Only a handul o

companies, or example, still control the majority o the meat packing industry

yson, Cargill, and JBS now process more than 70 percent o all bee.23 In pork

Smitheld Fds is the tp pacer, while Tysn, Swift (wned by JBS), and

Cargill ollow behind. Tese our packers controlled an estimated 66 percent o

the market in 2007.24 Poultry is no dierent, with only a handul o companie

dominating the processing o broilers (Pilgrims Pridenow also owned by JBS

Tysn, Perdue, and Sandersn Farms) and tureys (Butterball, Hrmel Fds

Cargill, and Sara Lee).25

In the grocery industry, competition to attract consumers has been vicious sincethe end o World War II. Large sel-service stores with meat counters began to

grow at a rapid pace. Supermarkets were achieving overwhelming dominance in

ood retailing.26 Between 1948 and 1958, supermarket sales grew aster than either the

population or per capita income.27 Te Super Market Institute was ounded in 1935

with 35 members, but grew to 7,000 by 1950.28 In 1977, the Super Market Institute

and Natinal Assciatin f Fd Chains cllabrated t frm the Fd Maretin

Institute, a 1,500-member company organization that represents the interests o the

largest ood retailers and wholesalers through research and lobbying. In the U.S. alone,

FMI member cmpanies represent 75 percent f all retail fd sales with a cmbined

annual sales volume o $680 billion.29 Te relatively small number o member com-panies (1,500) f the FMI cmpared t the 7,000 member cmpanies f the SMI

represents the extent to which the supermarket industry has become dominated by

large retailers over the past several decades.

Wal-Mart currently commands approximately 33 percent o the share o the grocery

market.30 However, other big box stores such as arget and pharmacies such as CVS

and Walgreens are expanding their retail sales into the grocery market. In 2010, arget

invested $500 million to expand grocery operations while CVS redesigned about 200

Photo

UndfdndCmmclWkinnnlUnn


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1

stores to include grocery sales.31 Just as sel-service grocery stores realized that larger

one-stop grocers would appeal to consumers in the post-WWII period, big box stores

such as arget known or selling household wares, toys, and electronics are realizing that

adding groceries to their shelves will boost consumer trafc in their stores. Research

suggests that consumers tend to visit grocery stores ten times more requently than they

visit pharmacies or retail shops.32

Te result o this corporate consolidation has been an increase in the retailers share

f the cnsumer dllar. Fr example, in 1990 the share f each cnsumer dllar spent

on bee was distributed across the ood supply chain as ollows: $.59 or the armer and

rancher; $.08 or the packer and the packinghouse worker; and $.33 or the retailer.33

By 2009, the distribution o the consumer bee dollar had been signicantly altered such

that the rancher/armers share has declined to $.42; the packers share has risen slightly

to $.09 (but still below their 1980 level) and the retailers share has risen to $.49.34

ConsUMer resPonse

Consumers have been responding to the ood systems domination by large corpora-

tions or almost 100 years. In the early 20th century, Jewish immigrant housewives

in New York Citys Lower East side challenged a growing kosher meat trust among

butchers.35 In the late 1960s, a small group o suburban Chicago housewives, including

U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, then a young stay-at-home mother, took on the

National ea Company, a large supermarket chain based in Chicago, and demanded

transparency in their ood labeling. Until their campaign, oods did not have a clear ex-

piration date. Instead, only the grocery stores and the distributors were able to decipher

the codes to reveal the expiration dates on oods such as bologna and baby ormula.

Trough a campaign o pressuring local stockboys at area grocery stores, the women

were able to break the codes. Using this inormation, they wrote a codebook that

drew national attention. Housewives across the country began to send in ty cents

to purchase the codebook. Te national media attention encouraged A&P Grocery,

National ea Companys competitor, to mount an ad campaign that their productswere stamped with clear and transparent expiration dates. Te National ea Company

quickly ollowed suit.36

T m c cum mm u , m

, p cp c m

m cc. Since the early 1970s, the movement to challenge the

cnslidatin f the fd industry has been rwin. With the publicatin f Frances

Moore Lappes Diet or a Small Planetin 1971, ood activists have called or a more

sustainable way to live.37 However, greater consumer concern with resh, local, organic,

and sustainable ood practices can also, in part, be traced back to these historical mo-

ments when members o the public began to raise serious concerns about the threatsposed by the use o pesticides, particular DD, in the cultivation o oods.38

Emboldened by the actions o activists like Ralph Nader, consumer rights activists

took on large corporations seeking greater regulation o their business practices or the

protection o the public;39 this movement extended to the ood industry and resulted

in a recalibrated orientation to vegetarianism and organic oods. One o the rst res-

taurants that integrated an environmentalist ethos into its selections was Alice Waters

Chez Panisse, opened in Berkeley, Caliornia, in 1971.40

distributiOn Of theCOnsuMer beef dOllar,

1990 and 2009

suc: endn Wlm rulsnlld. UCW. auu 31, 2010.

f 4

Packer 8%

1990

2009

Packer 9%

Farmer & rancHer

59 %

Farmer & rancHer42 %

retailer

33%

retailer

49%


20/92

16

oday, a hallmark o the ood movement is the commitment, implicit or explicit

to environmental issues. Publications such as Eric Schlossers 2001 Fast Food Nation

Te Dark Side o the All-American Mealand Michael Pollans 2006 Te Omnivores Di-

lemma: A Natural History o Four Mealshave directed increased attention to eco-riendly

domestic and restaurant practices.

As concerns over the environmental impact o ood production catalyzed the turn

towards locally grown oods and sustainable culinary practicesa staple o the ood

movementthese issues have transormed otherwise apolitical individuals into activ

ists. Participants in the growing ood movement express concern about the industria

ood system, and its implication in health problems, ecological devastation, and socia

injustices. i , m c c c w

u c cm m c p

m u c pc c, pcu

pc cm w m pp c m

pc pc u.41 Likewise, In terms o the rhythms o

daily lie, it is oten easier to express ones politics through a ood purchase

than it is to nd the time to write a letter, attend a protest, or participate in

social movement politics.42

Consumer activism around locally-grown, resh, and organic oods ha

successully changed the ood supply to include more o these ood items; in

Chapter III, several employers note that they have maintained or grown their

business by ocusing on this niche market. However, the ood movement o

the last several decades has not ocused on sustainable labor practices within the ood

system, with sme ntable exceptins, particularly with reard t farmwrers. F

example, the United Farm Wrers realized that the nly way they wuld win justice fr

farm wrers was thruh a cllabratie ert with cnsumers. At its pea, the UFW

grape boycott claimed that 10 percent o United States consumers were boycotting

grapes. Te boycott worked and arm workers won collective bargaining in the elds

More recently, Pineros y Campesinos Unidoes del Noroeste (PCUN), an Oregon-based armworker union, called on consumers to boycott NORPAC oods, a large

grower cooperative in the Northwest that employs both armworkers and packers, by

boycotting Gardenburger which was distributed by NORPAC. Given the popularity o

Gardenburger on college campuses, PCUN organized a campaign to target key college

campuses and their ood service companies. In 1999, PCUN was successul in getting

Gardenburger to nd another distributor. Tese and other examples o consumer activ-

ism having broad inuence on the ood system demonstrate the potential or consumer

activism with regard to working conditions along the ood chain. In act, the member

f the Fd Chain Wrers Alliance hae enaed in sinicant cnsumer enaement

work over the last decade, unanimously promoting the concept that sustainable oodsystem must include sustainable labor practices or ood workers; see Chapter IV or

more inormation.

Wh at ki nds o Jo bs ?

Besides eeding the United States, the ood system has tremendous potential to provide

low-wage workers with opportunities or meaningul career advancement and income

that will allow them to support themselves and their amilies. Te largest segments o

Photo

NLn

d


21/92

1

the ood chain are experiencing job growth, and most jobs along the ood chain

cannt be easily utsurced t ther cuntries r replaced by technly. Further-

more, unbeknownst to most United States residents, there are some livable-wage

jobs in the ood system. 13.5 percent o workers we surveyed along the ood

chain reported earning livable wages. Unortunately, most workers in the ood

system do not enjoy livable wages and experience little or no mobility to

these jobs. People o color in particular are least likely to be able to obtain

livable wage positions in the industry, as discussed urther in Chapter IV.

Jobs vary throughout the ood system, with average wages or each

segment varying slightly, and positions within each sector varying

greatly. On the whole, however, workers throughout the ood

system experience very low wages, much lower than those o

workers in the overall economy. However, Chie Executive

Ofcers o ood industries earn millions in income and

stock options.43

Eight o the top 100 CEOs in the United States are Food Sys-

tem CEOs. ogether these eight individuals will make almost

200 million dollars in 2012, the same amount as over 10,300

ood service workers. See endnote or list o CEOs and earnings.

Tere are a total o 19,980,227 workers in the ve segments studied

f United States fd sectr, bren dwn by sement in Fiure 6.

10,700ceoSmade$152,000374,000mangerSmade$63,000184,000ProFeSSionalSmade$52,0001,243,000SuPerviSorSmade$34,500972,000oFFiceWorkerSmade$24

,500

17,191,000FrontlineWorkerSmade$18,900

WOrkers in the fOOd Chain:

Median annual inCOMe in

the fOOd sYsteM 2010

surc:bLsoes2010

f 5

suc: bLs oes 2010

ProceSSing

1,302,800,

diStribution

1,686,120

retail

2,578,470

Service

11,417,460

Production

2,995,377

7%

15 %

8%

13%

57 %

breakdOWn Of eMplOYees bY fOOd Chain, segMent 2010f 6


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18

breakdOWn Of fOOd sYsteM eMplOYees bY pOsitiOn 2010

annual inCOMes in the fOOd seCtOr 2010

f 7

f 8

suc: bLs oes 2010

suc: bLs oes 2010

2%

86 %

1%6%

5%

ProFeSSional

184,200 SuPerviSor

1,242,890

oFFice Worker

972,190

Front line Worker

17,191,149

management

373,650

$200,00o

$180,000

$160,000

$140,000

$120,000

$100,000

$80,000

$60,000

$40,000

$20,000

ceo management

2010

annual

income

ProFeSSional SuPerviSor oFFice Worker Front lineWorker

Production

ProceSSing

diStributionretail

Service


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1

Frnt-line wrers mae up the cre f the fd industries, yet they

earn the lowest o all positions. Workers earn a median salary o

$18,889 a year. CEOs, on the other hand, earn a median income

o $151,833 annually. But while these average ood system chie ex-

ecutives median annual earnings are eight times that o ront-line

workers salaries, some executives earn much more. Te top paid ood

chain company executive, Howard D. Schultz, CEO o Starbucks,

earned $41.47 million in 2010, including salary, bonuses, stock gains,

and other income.44

Fiure 8 shws the annual salary f fd chain wrers acrss indus-

tries and groups.

Wages and working conditions vary greatly among ront line po-

sitions, some o which oer livable wages and many that do not.

Fr example, in the restaurant industry, frnt line wrers include

dishwashers, who earn a median wage o $8.51, and bartenders, who

earn a median wage o $23.67.45 While certain segments o the ood

chain do oer livable wage jobs and potential career advancement

(see more Chapter IV), the act that 86 percent workers are ront-

line workers speaks to the importance o improving job quality and

standards across the board. Since less than 10 percent o the jobs in

the ood system (about one million jobs) are proessional, manage-

ment, or supervisory positions, eorts to improve wages and working

conditions or millions o ood system workers cannot rely entirely

on these workers obtaining education and career advancement to

management positions.

Te median annual earnings o manager in the ood sector is

$63,002 dollars, while ront line workers earned between $11,168and $27,649 dllars annually, dependin n industry. Fd chain

workers median income can also be calculated as hourly wages, as

can be seen in able 2.

Median hOurlY Wages in the fOOd seCtOrt 2

CateGory produCtIon proCeSSInG dIStrIButIon retaIL SerVICe aVeraGe

Ceo $70.73 $80.00 $77.08 $69.59 $56.06 $70.46

Mnmn $33.91 $43.10 $44.32 $33.17 $24.83 $30.38

Pnl $20.42 $25.47 $24.79 $26.44 $19.59 $25.04

sup $20.25 $23.73 $25.14 $17.82 $14.78 $16.59

oc W $12.84 $14.83 $14.39 $10.31 $12.91 $11.78

n Ln W $10.10 $13.06 $13.28 $9.69 $9.11 $9.90

suc: bLs oes 2010


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20

Troughout the ood chainin the elds, supermarkets, meatpacking plants, restaurants, warehouses and distribution

centersChie Executive Ofcers median hourly wage was 7.1 times that o ront-line workers, while managers earned

3.1 times as much as ront-line workers.

Overall, wages o workers in the ood system are lower than workers in other industries.* In act, compared to statistics

on all workers in the U.S., the median hourly wage o ood system ront-line workers is about a third less than that o

all ront-line workers in the U.S.46 CEOs in the ood sector made on average eight percent less than in the economy as

a whole. Managers made 30.2 percent less. Proessionals only made 6.1 percent less. Supervisors earned 25 percent less

than supervisors in other industries. Ofce workers made 20.4 percent less and ront-line workers, who earn the least

pay, brought home 27.5 percent ewer dollars than ront-line workers in other sectors.

suc: bLs oes 2010

inCOMe in the entire eCOnOMY Vs. in the fOOd Chain 2010

$180,000

$160,000

$140,000

$120,000

$100,000

$80,000

$60,000

$40,000

$20,000

ceo management

2010

annuali

ncome

ProFeSSional SuPerviSor oFFice Worker Front lineWorker

aver age

an nu al me di an in co me Fo r a ll uS Wo rk er S

an nu al me di an in co me Fo r Fo od Se ctor Wo rk er S

f 9

Income or workers in the ood chain is 44 percent

lower than the economy as a whole. Eighty-six per-

cent o ood chain workers are ront-line workers.

More than ten million o these ront-line ood sys-

tem workers earn less than $28,635, or 150 percent

f the Federal Perty Leel fr a family f three.

Although livable incomes can be ound among

supervisor and manager positions in all segments,

and some ront-line worker positions in some seg-ments (described in greater detail in Chapter IV),

not everyone can advance to these higher-paying

positions. In 2010, or every manager there were

around three supervisors and 40 ront-line workers.

fOOd seCuritY aMOng fOOd sYsteM

WOrkers V. OVerall pOpulatiOn 2010

Food SyStem

overall PoPulation

f 10

12.2

7%

10.1

9%

5.1

2%

6.37

%

marginal Food

Security

loW Food

Security

ver y loW

Food Security

suc: bLs oes 2010

11.8

8%

10.4

2%

*Mdly: cnducd wd nly mdn w ndd ccupnl clcn (soC) n c cy w (mn, pnup, c.) ll d ym ndu nd d c ccupn nd cmpd m wd nly mdn w soC n ccy w (mn, pnl, up, c.) ll nn-m ndu cund n bLs uy.


25/92

2

CharaCteristiCs o the WorkorCe

Government data indicates that ood system workers are in majority white, U.S.-born

workers whose primary language is English and who have a high school degree. Te

data also show that hal o workers are emale, and two-thirds are below the age o 44.

According to government data, only about one in ve ood chain workers are born

outside o the U.S., and most have lived in the United States their entire lives.

ood SeCurIty

aMonG ood

WorkerS

Py-ll nd lw w mn

d w mn mny unl

d d ml nd

ml. alm n d

(30.5%) ll d ym w

pnc y lw mnl

d cuy, dnd y U.s

Cnu.47

* in c, d ym

w pnc mnl d

cuy 1.2 m

ll U.s. wc.

S fg 10 vis g.

*Mnl d cuy dnd on pd ndcnypclly ny ucncy d n u. L n ndcn cn n d d nLw d cuy dnd rp ducquly, y, dly d. Ll ndcn ducd d n. vy lw cuy dnd rp mulpl ndc dupd n pn nd ducd n. accd 21 apl 2012 :

nuMBer perCent

geNDer Ml 7,842,007 53.2

ml 6,889,021 46.8

age 16-24 4,901,491 33.3

25-44 5,957,846 40.4

45-64 3,520,533 23.9

65 ld 351,158 2.4

raCe/ethNiCitY an 808,168 5.5

blc 1,529,617 10.4

hpnc 3,526,817 23.9

W 8,757,123 59.4

o 109,303 0.7

PLaCe o birth U.s. 11,166,109 75.8

Ln amc 2,457,587 16.7

a 722,736 4.9

eup 254,311 1.7

ac 84,105 .6

o 35,350 .2

NativitY Czn y 11,300,081 76.7

fgn n 3,430,947 23.3

eDUCatioN L n g cl 3,733,826 25.3

hg cl dg quln 4,814,043 32.7

sm cllg 4,628,152 31.4

bcl dg g 1,555,007 10.6

soUrCe: 2008-2010 amcn Cmmuny suy 3-Y em. 48

deMOgraphiCs Of fOOd Chain WOrkers, united states, 2010t 3

Government data may exclude workers who are difcult to contact, including undocu-mented workers, and thus these statistics likely undercount immigrant populations. In

addition, this overall demographic snapshot o the ood system may hide large dier-

ences in certain segments of the food chain. For example, Pew Hispanic has found that

12 percent o restaurant workers and 25 percent o armworkers are undocumented

immigrants.49 Bread or the World Institute cites even higher statistics, that 50 percent

o U.S. armworkers are undocumented immigrants.50 Tus, the exact amount o un-

documented immigrants in the ood system is not known.

Photo

scrn


26/92


27/92

2

As mentioned in Chapter I, our survey data indicates that there are some livable-wagejobs in the ood system. However, the vast majority o workers in the ood system suer

under poverty wages and poor working conditions, with ew opportunities or career

mobility and little economic stability.

Data in this chapter was drawn frm the Fd Chain Wrers Alliances 629

surveys o ood system workers, with at least 80 surveys conducted in each segment o

the ood chain. Worker surveyors and sta rom the Alliances member organizations

approached workers outside workplaces, bus/metro stops near workplaces, religious and

community centers, check-cashing businesses, and other areas where workers congregate

in their community, as well as at the workers homes. Te member organizations also

conducted 18 additional in-depth interviews with ood system workers.

earnings

According to our survey data, about 40 percent o jobs in the ood industry provide

a wage above their regional poverty line, but only 13.5 percent o jobs provide wages

higher than 150 percent o the regional poverty level.

In interviews, many workers also reported uctuation with regard to their wages

and hours, making it difcult to plan, pay bills, and maintain economic stability. One

male armworker reported, More or less, we are paid $20 per box [that we ll up].

[Tere are 18 people in his team and they have to split that $20 per box equally.] When

the cucumbers are good, we are making $100-125 a day each. We start work about

seven and were leaving maybe between three and ve oclock; were not leaving very

late right now. [We work] six days per week. In addition, several workers in the ood

system reported earning a piece rate rather than an hourly wage, making their wages

dependent on their physical stamina, health, and ability to concentrate on a daily basis.

One emale loader/unloader at a Wal-Mart warehouse reported, We get paid by the

piece, and it depend[s] on how many pieces are on the trailer. I never made more than

$200 per week.

euc pp m fc w m

w w. Our analysis indicates that workers with less than a high school degree

earned a median hourly wage o $9.00, workers with a high school degree a median

hourly wage o $9.28, and workers with some college or more earn a median hourlywage o $10.19 (see able 4).

Poverty-level wages make it difcult or most ood system workers to provide or

themselves and their amilies. According to the National Low Income Housing Coali-

tin (NLIHC), the Fair Maret Rent fr a tw-bedrm unit in the United States is

$959. A ull-time ood service worker, working 40 hours per week, would have to earn

$18.25 an hour to aord the two-bedroom unit.51 Our survey data show that eight

out o 10 ood system workers sampled earn less than this. As one male armworker

ii. the WOrkers

distributiOn Of surVeY

respOndents bY Wage

segMent

W mn

sumnmum w 23%

Py w 37.6%

Lw w 25.8%

Ln w 13.5tl 100.0

Median Wage

bY eduCatiOn leVel

L n h scl $9.00

h scl D $9.28

sm Cll $10.19


t 4


28/92

24

stated, I eel that [we] make less money now than back in the 80s. Because in the 80s,

you got more money and everything was cheaper then, and now we get paid less and

everything is more expensive, so the wages we earn [dont] last. Everything is going up,

the gas went up, the price o ood went up, the rents and houses, and yet our pay

rate is still the same out in the eld.

Workers also reported a lack o raises. 58 percent have not received a raise in the

last year. One male cook at a restaurant reported, In terms o wages, my situation is

pretty bad. Maybe my wage has risen once or twice [in 15 years]. Like ve or six years

ago, there was a raise. It was really tiny.

hoUrs

Perhaps not surprisingly, given how little they earn per hour, workers in the ood system

reported working long hours. 40 percent o workers surveyed reported working more

than 40 hours per week at their primary employer. A ull 10 percent reported working

more than 10 hours per day, and the vast majority o those workers (who worked more

than 10 hours per day) reported working 60 or more hours per week.

Almost hal o the workers also reported working multiple jobs to make ends meet. 42

percent o workers work more than 40 hours per week at two or more employers, and 11

percent o workers report working 60 or more hours per week at two or more employers.

beneitsWorkers in the ood system reported not having access to benets that would allow

them to care or themselves and their amilies when sick or injured. 60 percent o

ood system workers reported not having paid sick days, and an additional 19 percen

reported not even knowing i they had paid sick days. Only 21 percent o all worker

surveyed conrmed that they had paid sick days.

In addition, 58 percent o ood system workers surveyed reported having no acces

to health care coverage. Only 17 percent reported having health insurance through their

employer. In addition, one quarter o all workers surveyed (25%) reported having no

transportation to get to medical appointments and treatment.

MethodoLoGy or

deterMInInG WaGe SeGMentS

au n-d uyd w w l

p py mun p-

u ull w w. tw-d w nly l

p n py mun pu ull

w w. W clculd

nnul py n llwn mnn: ec

w nnul n py w n clculd d

n wly n py mun. t clcul c

w nnul , w dmnd p-

jcd ncm d n nnul n

py clculn. t clcul pjcd ncm

, w ddd , dl

d n ncm, nd iCa t , d n

ml u. t dmn c w

wly , w ddd nnul y

52 (w). W ddd wly

nnul wly n py clculn n c

w nnul py.

W up w n cd un w

mnmum w nd 2011 Lw Ln

sndd incm Ll (LLsiL) mly .

t LLsiL w dmnd c uy d

n wc n cuny /dc

lcd n: N, Mdw, su W.

t nnul LLsiL mly n u

n $31,900 (N), $28.169 (Md-

w), $27,140 (su) nd $30,718 (W). all

uy cp cnducd n Mu

w dmnd wn mpln .

Py cndd l n qul 70 p-

cn LLsiL n n. a ll w

cndd 150 pcn LLsiL n

n, nd lw w mply cy -

wn py ll nd ll w ll.

hOurs WOrked

40% Wd m n 40 u p w

10% Wd m n 10 u p dy




aCCess tO benefits

79% D n pd c dy d n nw y d

83% D n c l nunc m mply

58% D n ny l c c ll

53% h wd wn c


t 5

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29/92

2

laCk Of MObilitY

32% Dd n c ny nn

74% N nn j nn

75% N d ppuny pply

81% N cd pmn


t 7

Given their lack o health benets, m w w u 53% p -

w w c, and these workers reported having worked while sick or a median o three days.

Among workers who worked while sick, almost two-thirds (65%) reported having done so due to a lack

o paid sick days. 43 percent thought they would lose their job, and seven percent chose to work while

sick because they had been threatened by an employer. As one male armworker stated, Tere have been

days where people have not worked because o the pain [rom working every day]. Sometimes they ask

or a day o, and the boss doesnt want to [give it to them]. Sometimes they decide not to go to work,

and they risk getting red. A male meatpacking worker stated, We dont have sick days. We have to

call i we get sick or were not going to come in... they will still subtract some points rom us or not

coming in. I I get sick, I probably [work] three days in a row. Ill still work or Ill sweat it out or work it

out or something. I also got sick rom my kidneysI was getting a ever on and o, having a hard time

breathing. I held on to the pain as long as I could. I was supposed to come to work on that Saturday. I

nished the shift [n] Friday. I didnt et ut f the hspital fr a wee. And I didnt hae my bade s

I couldnt call, since I was at the hospital. But my wie called... that Monday. When she went to go pick

up my check, they said I was almost red.

Several workers reported that having to work while sick prolonged their illness, particularly since

they were working in extreme temperatures intended to ensure ood saety. Another male meatpacker

stated, Ive lasted up to a month, more than a month sick, and thats how someone has to go to work...

its difcult because where we work, its cold. You breathe the cold, and you take longer to get better.

Te lack o paid sick days creates nancial strain and job insecurity or most ood system workers.

Many workers run the risk o being red when they are too ill to report or work. A male line cook in a

restaurant described his experience going to work sick ve to six days per year. We dont have paid sick

days. In the winter, I had a lot o colds, my throat closed, a ever, a headache. I had to work like that

one day. Ten I called to say that I wasnt going to work, but they said they would punish me because

no one could take my place. Tey almost red me, but I elt so bad but couldnt work so I didnt go in.

[One time] when I was sick, I didnt go to work or three days. When I got my check, it was only $100

and I had t pay rent that day, which is $300I culdnt buy fd r my Metr card. Finally, a female

warehouse worker stated, I had no sick days. [I] went to work sick a lot. I you wanted to take any time

o, they said you wouldnt have a job when you came back.

laCk o Mobility & training oPPortUnities

Low wages and lack o benets are compounded or workers in the ood system

by the general lack o opportunity to advance to higher-paying positions in their

segment o the ood chain, or to obtain training that would allow them to advance.

Uu, m w c j w

cu . am w 32% c -

j, 16 pc p w

qu. am qu 74% p

ppu pp j cu mp, 81 pcp c pm.

Unortunately, even in segments o the ood chain where there are potential

career paths to livable wage jobs, workers experience little upward mobility. As one

male cook at a restaurant stated, You know, us cooks, people who work in the

kitchen, were all just cooks. Teres no such thing as promotion. Teres just hard

work. In addition, workers reported that there is oten no ormalized process by

which to apply, leaving promotions to the arbitrary decisions o management. As


30/92

26

one emale stocker at a Wal-Mart reported, Teres no training. Its just i they like

you, or youre a riend or a amily member o someone in management, then you go

up. But i you challenge what they say, youre on the blacklist, you cant be promoted,

even i you have the knowledge. Teres an exam that you have to take. Te exams on

the computer. I was taking it with someone they like. He cant even read and write.

Teyre helping him pass it because hes the one that they want. We were sitting down

[I saw] managers help give him the answers. So, ater that, I didnt request it anymore

because its not really open or anyone; its open or certain people they want.

eMPloyMent l aW violations

Several workers we surveyed reported experiencing wage thet and other violations o

their employment rights under ederal and state employment laws.am -qu

w u 23% p c mmum w. M

36% p pc w pu w m m

w , wc c cu c pp pm u w

c m pm, p mppp, m.* Average weekly

wage thet experienced by workers ranged rom $25.93 in restaurant and ood service

to $48.49 in ood processing, distribution, and packing-houses.

Wage thet was highest among Blacks. However, Black workers were also con-

centrated in warehouse, where wage thet was highest. Black workers experienced 76

percent o cases o wage thet in warehouse, where they represented 76 percent o the

workorce. Latino and Indigenous workers experienced 100 percent o the cases o wage

thet on arms and nurseries and were 100 percent o the workorce in those sectors

Latinos experienced much higher rates o wage thet in grocery retail (79%), where

perCent Of industrY Cases Of Wage theft bY raCe

m/ M-cig & cssig, isibi rs & Gc Ws tl Wggicll & sis l cssig & cig-ss svics t

Ln 92.9% 25% 68.2% 36.4% 78.6% 10.3% 57.9%

blc 0% 0% 18.2% 40.9% 14.3% 75.9% 27.8%

W 0% 0% 4.5% 4.5% 7.1% 6.9% 3.8%

an 0% 75% 9.1% 4.5% 0% 0% 4.5%

indnu 7.1% 0% 0% 4.5% 0% 0% 3%o 0% 0% 0% 9.1% 0% 6.9% 3%

totaL 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%


t 8

* t clcul w , w mud nn dun pu w nd cmpd nn du (y uly mnmum w, ccunn ll u wd ncludn m.) W w dnc wncul nn nd nn du. t u dd n ccun w du lc . t u cludnddul w dd n p num u wd.


31/92

2

breaks

22% Dd n lwy c lunc

8% N cd lunc

28% Dd n lwy c 10-mnu

22% N cd 10-mnu


health and safetY

ViOlatiOns repOrted

52% Dd n c l nd y n

32.7% Dd n c pp qupmn j

21.7% Dd mn pu wn y

57.2% sud njuy l plm n j


they comprised 53 percent o the surveys sampled. Blacks and Latinos experienced

comparable rates o wage thet in restaurants (41% and 36%), but Latinos comprised

52 percent o restaurant workers compared to 29 percent o Black workers.

In interviews, workers earning piece rate or production rate wages reported not

making the minimum wage. One male warehouse worker reported, Tey pay by pro-

duction rate, which means or each 5,000 boxes you move o this truck, this truck is

only worth $62. Tere is no way you can nish a 5,000-box truck in eight hours. So

that means by my production rate, Im working eight hours per day or a $62 [truck].

And then I come back tomorrow, and I still gotta work this truck. And it is still the

[same] $62. So I am working today or ree, basically. Seven hours or ree or this day.

Workers also complained about the shaving o hours and lack o overtime. A male

stocker working in ood services (caeteria) reported, I know other co-workers would

punch out or their [lunch] break so it would look like they had taken their lunch

break, which the employer is required in some states to provide by law. But then [my

co-workers would] continue working because i they took a break, they would get

behind [in their work.] Ten at the end o 30 minutes, they would punch back in and

keep working. Another male cook in a restaurant complained, I work 12 hours every

day, ve days, and hal a day on Saturday [= 66 hours per week]. I dont get overtime

because we get set wages. Working in this restaurant, theres no overtime pay, and our

pay is not calculated by the day or hour. Its a set wage. I earn $500 each week.

Finally, child labr, which can be a ilatin f federal emplyment law, is un-

ortunately not a thing o the past in the ood system. More than one in ten (12%)

ood workers we surveyed reported that minors under the age o 18 worked in their

workplace. Although employing minors is not always a violation o law, this statistic

indicates that there are sinicant numbers f yuth in the wrfrce. Frm yun

children working alongside their parents picking ruits and vegetables to under-age

youth utilizing dangerous instruments in hot restaurant kitchens, minors are helping

to provide our nations ood supply, according to workers surveyed.

Meal and rest breaks

Te ability to take lunch and other short breaks can be important to ood service work-

ers, who work long, arduous hours harvesting, preparing, and serving the nations ood,

and t cnsumers f this fd. Furthermre, breas are mandated by law in seeral

states. O the states in which workers were surveyed, only Caliornia and Minnesota

require breaks. Minnesota workers surveyed always received 10-minute breaks, com-

pared to less than hal o Caliornia workers. In most other states, a majority o workers

did not always receive breaks.

Regardless o whether they are mandated by law, the high number o ood service

workers not receiving breaks indicates the arduous nature o the jobs. Almost one-quarter o all ood workers surveyed (22%) reported not always receiving a 30-minute

lunch break when they worked an eight-hour day, and almost one in 10 (8%) reported

never receiving this break. 22 percent o workers reported not receiving 10-minute

breaks at all, and another 28 percent reported that they do not always receive 10-minute

breaks. As one emale Wal-Mart worker reported, Some dont take it [a break] because

they have so much work to do. Managers see them that they dont take breaks. Tey

pretend they dont know, but they know about it.

t 9

t 10


32/92

28

SuStaInaBLe ood haSnt aLWayS Meant SuStaInaBLe LaBor praCtICeS

sl mm nzn d Cn W allnc luncd cmpn n d ym mply pclm

nc, unl, lclly-ucd d u n n w pln. t cmpn dmn cnum

mply uppn d ym mply pd unl d n ucn nun unl d ym; unl

l pcc nl.

mpl, run oppun Cn Nw Y (roC-NY) cnly luncd nd wn cmpn n dcmnn

nd w M bl un Dl P. bl cmpny pdd l pmn lw d, n nnnl m-

mn d ym m nd unl cnum. Dl P w nd cpn w nd ll cum

u lw d cncp nd dc nc nd lclly-ucd mnu m un cd,

u mnmn nd n dcmnn nd w . W cl w lly ud nd dnd

pmn, nd p w mpppd m c w. a mul-y cmpn nd lw

d c, roC-NY wn c w, n n u c, nw pmn plcy nd cul pm-

n, nd muc m. roC cun nnl cmpn n dcmnn nd w Ddn

Cpn, wld l ull-c un cmpny, wc wn ol gdn, rd L, Cpl

gll su, nd Lnn su. alu Ddn cd wd cn pm pdn

ly d cldn ol gdn un, ndn l nd y ll cnum

dly y n pdn mply w pd c dy nd pyn m ll $2.13 p u. in c, n

ll 2011, n ol gdn w n yll, N Cln, w cd w w hp C cu

cmpny dd n pd pd c dy. 3000 ppl d d pl ncn.

bndw innnl n Nw Y Cy nz jn cmpn w indul W

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mly mmn w d pc, du, nd l n Nw Y Cy. t cu n

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wc, mly m Pu nd Mc. W w ujcd w , u mnmn, nd cd

w wu pp y qupmn. t cmpn nd lw-w mmn w n nzn, ll

, md dccy, nd cmmuncn. t w cnncd 75 Nw Y m -

nwnd un p n d m Wld edl unl w w pcd. t w

wn $340,000 n lllly wld w nd cmpnn ln nd ndn mn pcn

ll wplc , ncludn dd nc cllcly.

hd l u l ld n unly. in spm 2011, hd Uny dnn ll

w, mm UNite here, wn cnc nl w n hd unly . a -mn cmpn

ncludd mulpl ll w udn und unl d nd unl j, w wn cnc mpmn

cncnn umm w ppun, w nd pcn mmn mply. hd l d c cmm w

w, udn nd cl p dmnn dlp nd mn unl d pm.

t Cln imml W (CiW) luncd cmpn cud n Cpl run, wc clm ll nd

nc, unl, nd ly d. hw, Cpl ud n d amn w CiW un

m pc w nd l nd wn cndn.* t n cn 10 mj cpn ldy

nd mn.

Wl-M clm ld n nnmnlly ndly un pcc nd d wll dul l lclly ucd

pduc. hw, Wl-M py py w wn mply nd d n nu ll w ll w n upply nd

dun cn. accdn m c ibisWld, Wl-M c m n $8.81 n u. 53 Wl-M w

nw nzn u wn nzn clld oUr Wlm. in ddn, wu w n sun Cln nd

n illn un scnd Lc, wc p Wl-M dun cn, nd n nc scnd u

w nd u ln. t ln nclud lu py mnmum w pmum py m n mny c. t UCW

innnl, oUr Wlm, Wu W Juc, nd Wu W Und nzn cmpn wn ll ncm,

dl l nunc, pc dm cn, nd Wl-M mply nd w n upply nd

dun cn.

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33/92

2

health and saety

Given their direct contact with the nations ood supply, ood system workers health

and saety should be o great concern to all consumers. However, ood system workers

reported working in high-risk environments, and that accidents and injuries in ood

harvesting, processing, distribution, retail, and service environments were requent.

M w u 52% p c

m mp. am - m

w 32.7% p mp w p c qup-

m j, 5.7 pc p mp p

c qupm. M 10 w 11.7% p qu

m pu w . o mp uc - w

pu c cmc, m pc mw -c

cmc u w. am -qu 23% w u-

p u cm cc w uc u cmc.

Another example o high-risk work is unsae equipment. As one male

meatpacking worker reported, I got hurt one time [because] the railing on the

machine was not welded completely. [It] was not closed right so as I was push-

ing the meat in. I missed, and I kinda ell o the railing and hit the corner o

the machine. It knocked the air out o me and knocked me to the oor. Ater

somebody got hurt, they xed the situation. Tey made us run a machine where

the saety controls werent properly hooked up. I had to unscrew the machines

in order or me to get the blade out. Im working with the blade really sharp and

with the saety disconnected.

In interviews, workers also reported that exposure to extreme temperatures

intended to preserve ood saety resulted in regular illness. One male meat-

processing worker reported, I realized that in the room that Im working in, its

almost like a rerigeratorits really cold, like 10 degrees or below. Te sausage

is already cooked and packed and ready to be shipped, so it has to be kept under rerig-

eration. Te rst couple o days you really arent used to the cold. Your eet get numb,your hands get numb, your whole body starts aching because o the coldI mean you

wear gloves, they give you gloves, but you can still eel the cold because youre touching

the prduct in the freezerand f curse yu et cld. First wee yure there, yure

nt used t it. First wee yure there, yu hae t et sic. Yu hae t catch a cld

its mandatory that you have to get sick because no ones used to being cold or eight

hours at a time and we only get a 30-minute break. At the other extreme, armworkers

and kitchen workers report being exposed to extreme heat. As one male armworker

reprted, When it passes 100 derees Fahrenheit, thats when yu feel yu cant tae

it no more. [Some workers] cant continue [working] because they cant stop vomiting

because they drink too much water since its too hot. Te arm, you cant move it or thesame reason that you are tired or sometimes your oot or sometimes all your body too.

Even i [the boss] sees that a person cant work anymore because o the heat or because

they eel sick because o the heat, he doesnt stop the [other] people [rom working].

Instead, he just brings another person to replace the worker. [Harvesting asparagus],

the hardest part is when its wet, when its raining, the people dont have good support

on the ground because they slip.

In addition, across the ood system, workers are exposed to repetitive stress on


34/92

30

muscles and joints. As one emale line worker at a poultry processing plant stated

Te lines are running super ast, and yet they say that theyre planning to make themeven aster We cant work harder than a machine, and they want us to be working

more than a machine can, and we dont want to work that way because we are the ones

getting hurtour muscles, hands, ngers. Here I have something hard orming [on

my thumb] like a bump, and I barely have a year working here. I went to the nurse

because it hurts and itches, and all she told me was to put tape [on it] and with that i

wont get as big.

Given these high-risk conditions in ood system workplaces, it is not surprising

that a vast majority o ood workers surveyed reported suering accidents, injuries, and

illnesses on the job. 57.2 pc w p uf ju

pm w w. i c, w w p mpuc ju , 28.8 pc w c

mc c m mp. In many cases, these accidents and injuries can result

in lasting, sometimes permanent bodily damage. As one emale Wal-Mart worker, an

overnight stocker, described, I have hurt my back. I was pulling a pallet o [beverage

supplements] Suddenly I was wondering why my leg was hurting. I told my man-

ager that I had to go to the hospital because I didnt eel good. I was in the pharmacy

department so I checked my blood pressure and it was really high because I was in

an rduz mmd m

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Wl-M n bldwn P,

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nl w ,

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w n upcn y, nd w w 800 mply. a u

y, cm upcn, u nw ju ll 500

w. h wld l n : i ud d nly n

dpmn dpmn l wn . bu nw, y

m yu w mnmum dpmn. t w u

undpd. an l y mny ull-m w nw -

n plcd y p-m nd mpy w cu y dnc n.

a n n c, an mu unld pduc m pll nd

c m m f up. s u c pulln pll. i

n L-4/L-5 nd dc, pln. t cmmndn

wn dc uy, u y. [Wl-M

w cmpnn nunc] dnd , nw w n ppl.

an w c n dmccy mmn n Plppn nd

nw ld n oUr Wlm, up c, y c-

i lwy n my ld wl nd

ppd, y. en cm nld n oUrWlm, nzd c-w nd up w . i

d pnl, [u 4 y ] wn y wn u w n

Cm Dy. W n dd. bcu pn n Cm,

y wn u . i d, n, w mny ldy nd w ll

w ll ldy nd nly 1 dy w cl, wy d yu

wy m u? s yn nd [ pn]. ty

wn l nc , y d lun nd. ty

w dn 3 y. s nw cu ldy py, y

dn wn py. s w cld [n Cm].

an y oUr Wlm yn n w

nd u . W nd dcn py, n, u mu, nnmn, [nd] mn. s pln n

14 cun, Wl-M w m nd nzn

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Wage theft bY lengthOf tiMe On the JOb

ye arS on jo B


35/92

3

pain. So I went, and they say it was just a bursitis. Tat bursitis never went away or six

months when they try to push you more with your pain, and every time I go down

on the oor, [I have pain]because you have to stock rom the oor upso I asked

them t tae me t the dctr fr three days I was asin fr it. Finally they did

I went to a specialist, and they sent me or an MRI, and I have an L-4/L-5 herniated

disc. And now, the recommendation o their own doctor is to have surgery. Its over a

year. At rst, they gave me shots to see i I get better. Its not going to get betterjust

two months the pain went away, but it came back again and so [I] have to get surgery.

[Workers compensation insurance] denied it so now we are on appeal. Tis particular

worker attributes her severe injury to the lack o proper health and saety training. At

the beginning, we had trainingthere was somebody who showed you how to use box

cutters, how to lit, the proper technique. Tey did away with that. Teres no more

training coordinators. Tey use the computers or you to go in and hurry up and pass

the lesson, the module, so they can have some kind o paperwork or them that youve

been trained by a computer.

tUrnover

Te poor wages and working conditions suered by workers across the ood system,

as described in this chapter, have an impact on the length o time workers reported

staying at a current job. Employee turnover can present tremendous challenges or

Uylnd Dcn w n nilln. s m -

y-ld du nd c

dld nc. Uylnd wd

Wl-M wu ud C-

c, illn, m 2009-2010. a

wu, ldd nd un-

ldd l nd d m n

l. Dpndn n w-

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Wn wu, w pd ccdn w mny m

w n uci n md m n $200 w, y.

Wl wn Wl-M wu mpy w, wc

w mnd y lc cnc, Uylnd y w dcm-

nd n n wmn. t mn wu md

cmmn l Dd yu nl? nd a yu n cy cu

ll n yu? s l l w pd l n mn

nd puply n y wld p pn. s l u-

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w lcd n l w ml c-w w d, im n d nd yu nd n md ul dnc . s

wn mnmn l m nw w d n plc, nd

Uylnd p, y d, sp n , yu ju n l; i

ddn nyn i cn d nyn u .

i wn w c l cu y wuld ll yu yu dn

cm, yu n j, Uylnd p. twd nd m-

plymn, cd l nunc nd pd $27 w .

a w, Uylnd ud m c pn, l pn nd uld

pn. Wn qud m , mnmn ud.

a wl, Uylnd culdn mn ny ln nd

l j wu. s n nzn w Wu

W Juc (WWJ). s y wn l [ w-

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s y, eyn i wn u wu md m wn

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. i l wn my cmmuny.

uyoLanda dICkerSon, 39 JoLiet, iLLiNoisld/unld/, 2 y n wu nduy


36/92

32

inCrease in nOn-standard WOrk

Workers across the ood system have seen an increase in non-standard, or temporary and part-time work

Tis phenomenon is not unique to the ood system but has been seen in many low-wage industries. In act,economists at the U.S. Department o Labors Bureau o Labor Statistics report that during the 19902008

period, employment in the temporary help services industry grew rom 1.1 million to 2.3 million and came to

include a larger share o workers than beore in higher skill occupations; employment in this industry has been

very volatile because temporary workers are easily hired when demand increases and laid o when it decreases.5

Furthermre, Bnillan and Mrales write that, the number f wrers wh are nt emplyed full-time and

year round has increased. Part-time work rose rom 15 percent in 1955 to 20 percent in 1977 and 24 percent in

1986. Over the last ew years the government has implemented a number o decisions that promote the growing

use o part-time and temporary workers.55 Te result has been a growing subcontracting out o such services

as ood preparation, building maintenance, warehousing and data processing. Tey involve types o jobs that

are organized in part-time or temporary work hours, and being labor intensive, can cut costs signicantly byreducing wages.56 Tese arrangements hit low-wage workers the hardest. Leon-Guerrero and Zentgra report

that, Te shit to nonstandard work arrangements through the 1980s-1990s not only enhanced exibility

but also reduced labor costs (by decreasing health care benets, vacation, sick pay and pensions). T

p-m w, mp, p 60 pc w u-m w. a 25 pc

p-m w mmum w cmp pc u-m w.57 Over the 1980s

and 1990s, temporary work doubled each decade,58 with low wage workers hit the hardest by these changes.5

Warehouse Workers or Justice surveyed 319 workers in warehouses outside o Chicago in 2010 and ound

that 63 percent o the workers were temporary workers.60

Agricultural work has traditionally seen a high level o temporary or seasonal work. wo studies reported

that 10-12 percent o the workorce is ollow-the-crop armworkers who ollow well-established migrantstreams corresponding to agricultural production cycles.61 An ILO study ound that 83 percent o workers on

agricultural crops (mainly ruits, nuts and vegetables) are hired on a seasonal basis.62 Also, the use o the guest

workers program has begun to threaten what little stability exists or armworkers in terms o wages and job

security (one study counted the number o H2A visas in 2007 to be 50,000current gures state 30,000).6

However, while ood workers are not the only workers experiencing a shit to temporary and part-time

work, together they represent one o the largest segments o the economy shiting to non-standard work

Amerson reports that the ast-ood restaurant industry oten keeps labor costs low by hiring young people

on the part-time basis.... In the 1990s the 3.5 million ast-ood workers represented the United States larges

minimum wage group.64ou u c mp w uf w w

w w. s w p m w $7.35, mp

w p m w $9.76, w -u w p m w $10.00

27.7 pc mp w 41.5 pc w p pc w

pp 14.5 pc -u, pm w. Fr many temprary warehuse wr

ers, or example, this greater wage thet is due to the act that the workers regularly change their workplace

location, making it easier or management to withhold wages. One male warehouse worker said, I ended up

getting into it with the lady. I called her about my checkm and she tell me I never worked there. We have no

record o you ever, ever being employed here. I lost my home twice, dealing with this.


37/92

3

My bucc w n n h.

h mmd Und s

n 1992, n plcl ylum - cup md Pdn

Jn b nd a d m pw

n 1991. Wn My d n

Und s, n wn n

m ld imml, ld. h

wd n ld n y nd

n wd n pduc pcnu y.

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u pc u up wn 6-8m. i n, [w] mu w

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dy. Wl wn n ld, My p w w n

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w w n.

My n nzn w Cln imml W (CiW)

n 1994. t CiW cmmuny-d nzn mnly Ln,

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ld. My y n nzn w CiW cu snc

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snc 1998, My n wn CiW cy cp. h y

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uy c nd ll m lw c. t cmmuny n

m lw c, y.

Cunly, CiW ldn Cmpn d, wc ncu-

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mw n ld. My mn mn l mpc

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Matye BeauCeCot, 56 iMMokaLee, LoriDamw nd cp w, 20 y n d ym

Photo

Luemksl

bth wrers and emplyers. Fr wrers, reular mement frm jb t jb creates

economic instability, and or employers, high rates o turnover impose tangible costs

such as screening, hiring, and re-training costs, and intangible costs such as a lessened

employee morale and loyalty. A recent report by the Restaurant Opportunities Centers

United, based on interviews and ocus groups with restaurant employers nationwide,

indicated that restaurant employers were well aware o the cost o turnover and o

the relationship between employee wages and working conditions and their willing-

ness to stay on the job. Tis relationship was also borne out in our surveys o workers

throughout the ood system.

In the Fd Chain Wrers Alliance surey data, we nted a crrelatin between

working conditions and length o time on the job. Workers who stayed at one place

or longer periods o time were less likely to report experiencing wage thet.am

- w 30.9% w j p

w , w 11 pc w w w 10 20

p w . quc p w c

m w j. In general, workers who experienced

wage thet stayed on the job a median o 3.5 years, while those who did not stayed on

the job a median o 5.12 years. Tus, workers who do not experience wage thet seem

ar more likely to stay at one job in the ood system.


38/92

34

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b. I sv m 600 ssm ws, m l (56.8%

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mnnd l, nmn d lly undcun

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The Hands That Feed Us