If the ACA is repealed, miners could lose out on critical compensation for workplace illness; New York farm owner indicted in death of teen worker; possible contender for U.S. labor secretary opposes minimum wage hike; and in good news, Ikea expands paid parental leave for its U.S. workers.
Writing for Slate, Gabriel Thompson spent time in northwest Arkansas investigating working conditions in a Butterball turkey plant. You would be wise to disregard the poultry industry’s claims about record-low injury rates.
Oxfam’s “Women on the Line” and the Food Chain Workers’ Alliance’s “No Piece of the Pie” provide more evidence of the low wages, harsh conditions, and disrespect experienced by millions of workers in the U.S. food industry.
Dr. Steve Wing’s voice, courage and integrity touched the lives of many. I have yet to meet anyone so intertwined with both science and social movements. His legacy will continue through the ongoing struggles for justice and social change.
The final day at the APHA annual meeting featured speakers addressing long-acting reversible contraceptives, examining news coverage of health, and connecting farmers’ markets to people receiving food assistance.
Agriculture
New York farmworker, worker centers sue for organizing rights: ‘This would be a huge victory’
In September 2015, New York farmworker Crispin Hernandez was fired after his employers saw him talking with local workers’ rights advocates. But instead of backing down, Hernandez filed suit against the state. And if he prevails, it could help transform the often dangerous and unjust workplace conditions that farmworkers face to put food on all of our tables.
Farmworker and health groups submitted a petition to EPA urging the agency to immediately suspend the use of chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide implicated in acute farmworker poisonings.
New Jersey’s growing temp industry is rife with labor violations, worker mistreatment; advocates in North Carolina demand safer conditions for poultry plant workers; former Wells Fargo workers sue over aggressive sales quotas that led to fraud; and an investigation into northern California’s marijuana industry finds rampant sexual abuse and assault.
Farmworkers in south Texas continue to struggle 50 years after historic worker strike; Illinois governor signs Domestic Workers Bill of Rights; Samsung Electronics accused of withholding deadly chemical exposure information from workers; and OSHA fines a Tyson chicken plant after a worker loses a finger.
Slate investigates a little-used Fair Labor Standards Act provision that could improve conditions for farmworkers; Syrian child refugees face exploitation in Turkey’s textile industry; OSHA cites a Wisconsin shipyard for exposing workers to high levels of lead; and researchers offer new insights into the effects of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law.