READ & ASSIGNMENT: Essay 2 Sample Draft Discussion (2 Posts Before 11:59pm Thursday & 2 Responses Before 11:59pm Sunday)

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Overview:

• This two-part assignment will help you early in your writing process tobegin thinking about how to formulate essay 2.
• To complete this assignment, you will need to read this sample essay written for prompt 2 orruption to the Core The meatpacking industry is not only one of the most dangerous jobs a person can obtain, but one of the most corrupted industries in the nation. Many think that the meatpacking industry just provides beef and pork to restaurants and grocery stores for the sake of the people, but what they fail to understand is the agony of the hands that prepare that meat being sold in restaurants and grocery-store chains. Innocent people not only have to put up with the corrupted behavior that is displayed in the plants, but they also suffer from injuries and injustices daily. What makes these matters worse is the fact that the group of people that are affected by this the most are undocumented workers or immigrants. It has been exposed time and time again that the meatpacking industry purposely searches for undocumented workers to work in the slaughterhouse. One may ask, "Why would meatpacking plants be on the look-out to hire undocumented immigrants?" Well the answer is simple: it is cheaper for the meatpacking industry to put undocumented workers on their payroll because they do not have to pay them full minimum wage like they would have to for a citizen of the United States. On top of offering them little pay, they do not have to give them health benefits and can easily dispose of them when they want to. This means that it is harder for workers to unionize. In the article "Return To The Jungle: The Rise and Fall of Meatpacking Work," author Daniel Calamuci states, "The meatpacking industry continues to use immigrant labor, mostly in Latin America, as a means of breaking unions, keeping low wages, and disregarding safety and health laws" (73). These corrupt ways of the industry need to be stopped, and the best solution in doing so is to attack the

Student's Last Name 2 industry where it would hurt most, and that is their customers. In order for big businesses to survive in this world, they need to acquire and satisfy their customers, if workers can get the industry's biggest customers involved in the fight to reduce the number of immigrants being tricked into working for the slaughterhouse, then the meatpacking industry would be forced to make changes for their workers, such as improving working conditions and better pay. There are many reasons why the meatpacking plant is corrupt. One example of that is their refusal to improve working conditions for their workers. The meat industry has been known to put their profits before their workers' safety. Due to the constant high-speed lines and the same lacerations that these workers must make throughout the day, the meatpacking industry is known as one of the most dangerous businesses to work for in the nation. In the article, "Self- reported Occupational Injuries Among Industrial Beef Slaughterhouse Workers in the Midwestern United States", authors Jessica H. Leibler and Melissa J. Perry state, "Animal slaughter and meatpacking workers in the U.S. experience among the highest rates of occupational injury of all industries." (23) The injuries that occur in the meatpacking industry can range from stress-related to damage to the respiratory system from breathing in harsh chemicals, but the most common injury is lacerations due to working with sharp knives and making the same lacerations throughout the day on carcasses of beef and pork. With the constant speed of lines, and refusal of slowing down the lines due to losing profit, workers are bound to make mistakes and cause self-inflicted injuries. Authors Jessica H. Leibler and Melissa J. Perry would go on to state, "However, industrial meat facilities are often sited in economically disadvantaged communities, and workers may be pressured not to report occupational injuries to plant management out of fear of losing their job." (24) This is a sheer outlook on the corruption that is being presented to us by the meatpacking industry. If workers can not report their injuries

Student's Last Name 3 to management and get the proper medical examination that they need, then that means these workers are just working through the pain of their injuries, which makes it more difficult to get a clear understanding of the injuries that are suffered throughout the day resulting in what could possibly be higher numbers of injuries than what is actually being reported. On top of the horrible working conditions that these workers are put through, the amount that they are being paid is severely unfair. Workers are not only not getting health benefits for the injuries that they receive daily, but they do not receive the benefit of hazard pay that they so desperately deserve. In the article, "Return To The Jungle: The Rise and Fall of Meatpacking Work", author Daniel Calamuci states, "Wages in 2005 in some of the nation's largest plants have dropped below wages in 1980 (in real dollars)." (68) Wages dropping below the average of the wages that were paid in the 1980s is a horrific thought, especially with the working conditions not improving since then. Author Daniel Calamucci would also state, "Annual salaries for production workers average around $22,000 per year, much lower than manufacturing workers nationwide." (68) The salary of $22,000 per year is about the same amount a fast food worker would make, which is far less dangerous and requires less work hours per week than what a slaughterhouse employee would work. With the cost of living increasing each year and the decrease of average wages, it is making it more difficult for slaughterhouse employees to make a living. The reasoning behind the dramatic pay cuts contributes to the process of corruption. To make matters worse, the meatpacking industry purposely hires immigrant workers to do the more dangerous work for less pay, since they do not have a voice for themselves as would a citizen of the United States, therefore they cannot stand up for themselves while they are being taken advantage of. A prime example of this is the Smithfield Packing plant in Tar Heel, NorthStudent's Last Name 3 to management and get the proper medical examination that they need, then that means these workers are just working through the pain of their injuries, which makes it more difficult to get a clear understanding of the injuries that are suffered throughout the day resulting in what could possibly be higher numbers of injuries than what is actually being reported. On top of the horrible working conditions that these workers are put through, the amount that they are being paid is severely unfair. Workers are not only not getting health benefits for the injuries that they receive daily, but they do not receive the benefit of hazard pay that they so desperately deserve. In the article, "Return To The Jungle: The Rise and Fall of Meatpacking Work", author Daniel Calamuci states, "Wages in 2005 in some of the nation's largest plants have dropped below wages in 1980 (in real dollars)." (68) Wages dropping below the average of the wages that were paid in the 1980s is a horrific thought, especially with the working conditions not improving since then. Author Daniel Calamucci would also state, "Annual salaries for production workers average around $22,000 per year, much lower than manufacturing workers nationwide." (68) The salary of $22,000 per year is about the same amount a fast food worker would make, which is far less dangerous and requires less work hours per week than what a slaughterhouse employee would work. With the cost of living increasing each year and the decrease of average wages, it is making it more difficult for slaughterhouse employees to make a living. The reasoning behind the dramatic pay cuts contributes to the process of corruption. To make matters worse, the meatpacking industry purposely hires immigrant workers to do the more dangerous work for less pay, since they do not have a voice for themselves as would a citizen of the United States, therefore they cannot stand up for themselves while they are being taken advantage of. A prime example of this is the Smithfield Packing plant in Tar Heel, North

Student's Last Name 4 Carolina. Author Daniel Calamucci states, "Management assigned Latino workers to the 'cut line' and janitorial crew, whose equally dangerous with less pay." (73) He would go on to say, "White workers were supervisors and management." (73) Meatpacking industries use Latino immigrants for the grueling dirty work that no one else would be willing to do. The reason why immigrants are so willing to do this kind of work, while experiencing corruption at its finest, is that employment in the United States would not only earn them a steady income, but it will improve their chance in becoming a citizen with proper documentation. The meatpacking industry realizes this and use that very knowledge against the immigrants by the threat of deportation. The meatpacking industry figures if they hire immigrant workers then they would not have to pay them the average minimum wage like they would with a citizen with proper documentation. This state of mind would contribute to their overall profits by paying their employees less and contributing the same amount of meat to their customers by not slowing down the lines or improving their safety hazards. Dramatic cuts to wages plus increasing the overall production of meat for customers equals big profits for the already million-dollar industry. In simpler terms, the meatpacking industry is thinking more about their profits than the safety of their workers. Unfortunately, the corruption does not stop there. Management and supervisors of the meatpacking industry not only commit the crime of mistreating and abusing their workers, but in some cases, they have been committing the crime of tax fraud. Author Liala Lalami presents an excellent example of this with the managers James and Pamela Brantley of the Southeastern Provisions meatpacking plant in her article, "After the Raid". Author Lalami states, "In a federal affidavit, The IRS alleges that James Brantley had been evading payroll taxes and filing false tax returns for years." (12) They not only were caught for tax fraud but they were also exposed for

Student's Last Name 5 their harsh working conditions within the plant. The author would go on to state, "A confidential informant also reported the plant workers faced unsafe labor conditions, including exposure to harsh chemicals without suitable protection." (12) After learning about this horrific incident within the Southern provisional plant, it is safe to say that the working conditions were improved and the supervisor had received punishment for his actions, right? Wrong. In fact, there would practically be no punishment for the factory owner and no changes, regarding working conditions, within the plant. The supervisor's actions would be somewhat overlooked by the ICE raids that President Trump issued after his successful election as president. The author states, "And yet, while the workers were rounded up and placed in Tennessee's immigrations jails, the plant's president and general manager was not arrested. It's entirely possible that Brantley will not face any criminal charges, but will instead have to pay fines." (13) As you can see, corruption within the meatpacking industry has been evident and in some cases caught by government officials and yet nothing has been done to punish the people in charge or improve these conditions. The industry continues to commit crimes and take advantage of their employees, particularly their immigrant workers, simply because they know that no repercussions will come of it besides a slap on the wrist. The meatpacking industry taking advantage of immigrants is nothing new, and there has been constant proof of this happening for many years. One example of this is through Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle. The Jungle is a 1906 novel that follows the life of an immigrant Lithuanian family as they travel to America looking to start a new life and achieve their goal in living the "American dream." Jurgis Rudkus, the father of the Lithuanian family, starts looking for a job as soon as the family settles into America. He sees men young and old, most of them immigrants like himself, lining up in front of the slaughterhouse looking for work. He decides

Student's Last Name 6 that this would be a great opportunity for him and his family to earn a living and since he has worked manual labor his whole life, this would not be any different. Little did he know that he would experience the corruption behind the meatpacking industry at first hand. For instance, the managers and superintendents, who got paid the most, were never the ones that got their hands dirty in the grueling work that the slaughterhouse workers did. Sinclair states, "The managers and superintendents and clerks were all recruited from another class, and never from the workers; they scorned the workers, the very meanest of them." (101) This is an example that they not only treated their immigrant workers poorly, but immigrants were never able to work themselves up the ladder to being managers. They worked the same horrific job until they could not anymore and then be disposed of for new and younger men that were eager to work. Upton Sinclair did a great job exposing the meatpacking industry's corruption back in 1900s to where it started to catch the attention of the government which in fact led to them forcing the industry to make changes to the food hygiene laws and allowed room for unions to improve workers' conditions. Things did improve during the middle of the twentieth century, but then IBP found a way to break unions and things got worse again. The corruption of the meatpacking industry needs to be stopped and there are a couple options that can be taken to do so. The first option is to reduce the hiring of immigrants. The meatpacking industry is not only purposely hiring undocumented workers but are purposely building industries in less economically strong regions to catch the eye of immigrant workers. (24) The hiring of immigrants is not only contributing to their profiting corrupted business, but reducing the chances of them making changes within the industry. The hiring of more undocumented workers than properly documented civilians leads to less complaints and less unions. This benefits the industry greatly because it ultimately leads to less interruptions and

Student's Last Name 7 problems for the meatpacking industry. The industry can continue their corrupted business and continue to ignore the real problem, the mistreatment of workers, due to them making the profits that they desire to make. If the government could intervene and reduce the number of immigrants that the industry is hiring then that would force them to hire properly documented workers who can form stronger unions, have a stronger voice, and could bring more attention to the working conditions of the slaughterhouses. A properly formed union that is well organized can cause damage for the meatpacking plant and that is what they are afraid of. For example, the union group UPWA made an astronomical presence in the meatpacking industry. Author Daniel Calamucci would state, "Facing an industry that was dominated by firms using racial and ethnic divides to exploit their workforce, The UPWA overcame these factors." (76) He would later go on to say, "They built a militant and progressive labor union that, despite insurmountable odds, made meatpacking workers middle-class workers." (76) Forcing the industry to hire more documented workers can make a difference in the workplace of the meatpacking industry, but if government does not intervene then there are other options and that would include involving the industry's biggest customers. The meatpacking industries biggest customers that they supply meat to include big corporations, such as McDonalds. These corporations have been involved with improving certain conditions within the industry before, but instead of involving the workers safety, it was involving animal cruelty. Eric Schlosser, author of the article "How to Make the Country's Most Dangerous Job Safer", writes about how McDonalds was brought to court by two workers named Dave Morris and Helen Steel for accusations of low pay, animal cruelty and exploitative advertising, known as the "The McLibel" trial. (34) The McLibel trial is a very important example of why getting the meatpacking industries biggest clientele involved in the fight for

Student's Last Name 8 improving workers safety and income, because it shows that they have gotten involved before. After the McLibel trial, McDonalds needed to improve their public appearance, author Eric Schlosser states, "More importantly, McDonalds now requires that it's meat suppliers handle and slaughter animals more humanely." (34) How McDonalds was able to do this was by starting an auditing system for all of the slaughterhouses in the area that provided meat to McDonalds. Schlosser would go on to say, "The auditors who check compliance work for the companies that make McDonald's hamburger patties, but Grandin says that they seem genuinely committed to the new policy - making unannounced visits to the slaughterhouses, for example, to observe whether animals are properly handled and stunned." (34) With the constant random visits of the auditing systems for animals and the threat of refusing to buy meat from them if safe practices were not continued, the slaughterhouses were forced into obeying what their leading customer wants. If corporations can have that much control to maintain the safe practice of slaughtering animals continued, then they should have the same amount of power to make sure workers are being properly compensated and working in a safe and practical environment. Unity is the key factor for changes to happen within the meatpacking industry. If the government is not going to step in and demand change in order for work safety to be enforced, then unity between the unions and the leading consumers of the meatpacking industry, such as McDonalds, need to happen. If they both can come together and develop steps such as having an auditing system drop by the industry to not only improve the working environment and the salary for the meatpacking employees, but also help reduce the number of undocumented workers that the industry is hiring , then the meatpacking industry would be forced to make changes. Even though immigrants may not be full citizens of the United States, they are people just like us and deserve the humane right of a safe workplace like any American. Unfortunately for them, people

Student's Last Name 9 such as the meatpacking industry, do not believe in that and will continue to take advantage of them for their personal gain. The only way to fix this problem is to reduce the hiring of immigrants in the meatpacking industry and hope that the undocumented workers can find a new line of work for them and their families. In the end it will only benefit them and their families. In a world ran by business and money, leading consumers ultimately have a bigger say in matters such as these than unions would. Unions can be effective if they are meticulously organized, but at the end of the day leading consumers is what ultimately brings the money in for big businesses such as the meatpacking industry. If the leading consumers can listen to the unions and work with them by threatening the meat industry to either make the necessary changes or lose their business, then their demands can be met and we will likely see a positive shift in this vicious

• • This was a passing essay, but it was not particularly strong, so it has aspects that need significant improvement.
    • It earned a 75.
  • Please complete all of the requirements for both Part 1 and Part 2 described below.
    • There are staggered deadlines, and Part 1 is due before Part 2.
    • Part 1 must be submitted by the date specified.
    • The due date on the Canvas calendar is for Part 2 only, so you have to keep track of the earlier deadline for Part 1 yourself.

NOTE:Because this assignment has staggered deadlines, the post cannot be late. To repeat, the late-work policy does not apply to the post.

1) 2 POSTS (by 11:59pm Thursday):POST 1: Evaluate the essay based on one of the following rubric criteria (you pick):

• Introduction
• Sources
• Organization

You should take into account strengths and weaknesses in terms of the criterion you select, with more emphasis placed on explaining weaknesses. Be specific and cite specific parts of the essay to support your points. This post should be a minimum of 150 words.

POST 2: Evaluate the essay based on one of the following rubric criteria (you pick):

• Body-Paragraph Structure
• Argument

You should take into account strengths and weaknesses in terms of the criterion you select, with more emphasis placed on explaining weaknesses. Be specific and cite specific parts of the essay to support your points. This post should be a minimum of 150 words.

2) 2 RESPONSES (by 11:59pm Sunday):

• For each response, pick a classmate to respond to and engage with her or his ideas.
  • If you agree in a response, explain specifically why you agree and provide one new example from the essay to support your agreement.
  • If you disagree in a response, explain specifically why you disagree and provide one example from the essay to support your disagreement.
  • Be sure to use one another's names.
  • Each response should be a minimum of 100 words.