Oftentimes, the little things separate a mediocre essay from a strong essay. Obviously, global issues, such as organization, paragraph focus, and quality of content, are among the most significant elements of an essay; however, the little technical moves can really enhance the readability - and therefore credibility of the writer and persuasiveness of the argument - of an essay. One important small but important move is the use of signal phrases to effectively integrate quoted material. We've covered this a bit in previous weeks, but now I want to focus narrowly on mastering the skill. This assignment will allow you to identify dropped quotations - quotations dropped in an essay without signal phrases - and correct them with signal phrases...

Please read this sample essayLinks to an external site. in its entirety

y, an overlooked and overworked place of employment lies within the American meatpacking industry. The work environment has created high-risk injuries due to increased line-speeds and the high demand for meat production. The workers are not able to keep up with the volume of production without compromising their health and safety. The meatpacking companies continue to turn a blind eye in order to increase their profit margin. The substantial problem has provoked a series of solutions. Some argue that the government should put an end to this mistreatment; in contrast, others believe unionization will be the best option to increase change. Eric Schlosser, the author of "How to Make the Country's Most Dangerous Job Safer," affirms that McDonald's corporation is the largest buy who can provide the most significant impact for change for workers' injustices and inhumane treatment. As the largest buyer, McDonald's can demand change by refusing to conduct business with a meatpacking company, unless labor safety guidelines are enforced, therefore promoting a safe work environment for employees.

Meatpacking jobs have been labeled the most dangerous job in the country due to the lack of safety and inhumane treatment of employees in unsafe environments. Increased speed lines are due to a high volume of food production, which has increased the injury rates as workers cannot keep up, resulting in lacerations, amputations, and stab wounds. "In 2000 the

official illness and injury rate for meatpacking was 25 percent" (Olsson 12). This showcases that one out of every four employees are being injured due to these horrendous work conditions.

There are four major competing meatpacking companies, IBP, ConAgra, Excel, and Farmland National Beef. These suppliers dictate the unfair laboring system and control 85 per- cent of the US market. "Plants are reaching a goal of about 400 cattle an hour and up to 10,000 knife cuts per day per worker" (Schloss er 35). The excessive demand is causing higher risk injuries such as lacerations, inhumane slaughter practices, and providing a lower disregard for food safety handling and higher food contaminations as a result of a lack of precautions due to lack of time. The neglect meatpacking plants display happens to nearly 150,000 immigrant workers. They offer low pay, mistreatment, unequal rights, low health benefits, and no regard for human laborers. Immigrant undocumented employees are less likely to complain about these unsafe conditions due to fear of deportation and have minimal options for work. As a result, this is a significant reason why they allow this mistreatment to continue.

In September 1990, McDonald's sued activists Dave Morris and Helen Steel in the "McLibel" trial for leaflet they published called, "What's Wrong with McDonald's? Everything They Don't Want You to Know" (Schlosser 34). In this publication, they provided information on inside discoveries of slaughterhouses that treated workers and cattle inhumanely. As a result of this trial, McDonald's made an effort to improve its public image by requiring meatpacking industries to enforce ethical animal treatment in exchange for their continued business; however, changes to improve worker's conditions did not happen at that time. "If McDonald's can send auditors into slaughterhouses to ensure the ethical treatment

of cattle, it can certainly do the same for poor immigrant workers" (Schlosser 35). This demand would include slowing down production speed lines in order to prevent a multitude of injuries and increase safety for workers. One of the drawbacks to slowing down production speed lines is a result of loss of profit for McDonald's; however, an advocacy approach would work in favor of public image and could increase profitability by increasing the price of their burger and still satisfying the profit quota. McDonald's has effectively persuaded production companies to adjust their animal slaughtering standards, it is only fair to say the same can be achieved for laborers.

Another solution is unionization having the ability to demand change. Although this is a possibility, unions and workers have tried endlessly to fight for justice. The outcomes have had success in gaining partial respect and an increase in pay, yet have lacked to gain equal rights and workplace safety conditions. This is due to the majority of undocumented immigrants' employment who have minimal job options, consequently keeping workers at the mercy of meatpacking suppliers. "Trying to take on a giant meatpacker is not an easy task" (Olsson 12). It seems this is an immigrant issue, because if meatpacking plants were employing American citizens, these working conditions would not be displayed. The immigrant workers are not able to depend on governmental support. "Last year's vote in Congress to rescind OSHA's new ergonomic standard, designed to reduce cumulative trauma injuries suggests that the federal government has little real interest" (Schlosser 35). If unions receive support from the government, it cannot be expected for any real changes to occur if the suppliers are not being held accountable to a particular standard. Unions have not been able to obtain equal rights

against these meatpacking companies for decades, therefore, proving that the power continuously lies within the meatpacking industry and unions cannot execute this alone.

It is safe to say McDonald's has the immense power to provoke change, as it has proven in its past accomplishments in animal cruelty. As the largest buyer, meatpacking companies fear losing a big consumer, therefore, allowing McDonald's to have negotiating power. This will be the driving force against meatpacking industries. If McDonald's took this stance, it could in- crease their profits, as an advocate of ethical humane treatment and would boost their public im- age. The support of individuals who believe in humanity are not usually opposed to a solution that causes increased burger pricing, at the expense of supporting progressive labor treatment.

Thus, McDonald's would not be losing profit, if not possibly increasing profit, while demanding reduction of speed lines for laborers' safety and meatpacking companies get to keep their largest consumer.

In the end, meatpacking as the most dangerous job has a solution to improve workers' safety conditions, if powerful corporations like McDonald's take a stand on humanity. With their tenacious pursuit, demands can and will be met. This will improve safe working conditions and enhance the animal ethical treatment in the meatpacking plants. McDonald's, as the largest meat- packing plant consumer, has the power to demand change for labor and food safety, as well as ethical humane justices. The lives and safety of meatpacking workers could be changed if they choose to take a stand.

Works Cited

Schlosser, Eric. "How to Make the Country's Most Dangerous Job Safer." Atlantic, vol 289, no. 1, Jan. 2002, pp. 34-35. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2002/01/how-to-make-the-countrys-most dangerous-job-safer/302395/ / Accessed 27 Jun 2020.

Olsson, Karen. "The Shame of Meatpacking." Nation, vol. 275, no. 8, Sept. 2002, pp. 11-

• • • (NOTE: because I had to convert the file, the line spacing and margins were altered.
  • I have purposely removed all of the signal phrases.
  • Because of this, there are now five dropped quotations in the essay.
  • Once you have read the essay and identified the dropped quotations, please complete one post.

Post Instructions:

• Copy and paste the essay from the Word document into the body of a post.
• Highlight each dropped quotation in yellow.
• Create a signal phrase for each dropped quotation, and use red type so that it is clearly visible.
  • Do not highlight your newly created signal phrases.
  • I will release the original version of the essay that has signal phrases in an announcement after the deadline for the assignment has passed.
  • There is an instructional video below that demonstrataes how to use the Canvas features required to complete this assignment.