Working Conditions - Essay Example

?Topic:  Working Conditions The meat slaughtering, processing, and packaging industry has some of the most unsafe, dirty and damaged work conditions and has long been associated with an alarming rate of casualties such as accidents, injuries, and illnesses. Human Rights Watch’s method of giving recommendations against the meat and poultry plants in America is a justified act governed by a form of moral reasoning known as “utilitarianism”. According to Andre and Manuel - ' this principle holds that the morally right course of action in any situation is the one that produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected' (Andre, 2010). I absolutely agree in supporting the detailed recommendations of Human Rights Watch enlisted below (Compa, 2005). New federal and state laws should reduce line speed in meat and poultry plants and establish new ergonomics standards to reduce repetitive stress injuries. Health and safety authorities should apply stronger enforcement measures. States should develop stronger worker compensation laws and enforcement mechanisms. Employers should not engage in aggressive, intimidating anti-organizing campaigns that take advantage of loopholes and weaknesses in the U.S. labor law system. Congress should enact legislation bringing U.S. labor law into compliance with international standards (e.g. to prohibit the permanent replacement of striking workers) and should also create stronger remedies for violations of workers’ rights. New laws and policies should ensure respect for the human rights of immigrant workers, whatever their legal status. Immigrants should have the same workplace protections as non-immigrants, including coverage under fair labor standards and other labor laws, and the same remedies when their rights are violated  A hog worker from North Carolina quotes “The line is so fast there is no time to sharpen the knife. The knife gets dull and you have to cut harder. That’s when you cut yourself.” If a worker really loses limb or life, who is there to lend a helping hand to his family to earn daily living. Ethically, the employers should open their eyes and weigh the resulting benefits and harms of policies that are forced upon the workers in meat and poultry industry. The   increase in volume and speed of production   should be backed with quality training and sufficient safeguards making the work less hazardous. Employers should choose the course of action that provides greatest benefits to the workers who make up to 30,000 hard-cutting motions with sharp knives in a shift and often become victim of long-term occupational injuries and frequent lacerations. Investigations done by Human Rights Watch have shown that workers often do not receive compensation for injuries at workplace because companies do not report injuries. The claims are delayed and denied; reprisals are inflicted on workers who file them. Workers are loved as long as they are healthy and capable of working like a dog. But once they get hurt, company will find a reason to fire them or put them in a terrible job or change the shift so that worker quits.  Therefore, lot of people just work with the pain without reporting their injuries. To overcome such situations, according to deontology, a right choice conforms to a moral norm. Such norms are made simply to be obeyed by each moral agent in spite of maximizing such norm-keepings .For deontologists the Right has priority over the Good. If an action is not in accord with the Right, it may not be performed; no matter the Good that it might (Alexander 2008). In an investigation conducted by Jamie Fellner, director of the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch, the fact revealed was that often Public agencies try to protect consumers from tainted meat but do very little to  protect their workers from unhealthy and terrible conditions. It is also reported that aggressive and unlawful company try to derail workers’ organizing efforts. Employers threat workers who try to defend themselves by forming unions.  The ethical theory of utilitarianism asks meat packing companies   to look beyond self interest and consider  impartially the interest of  all their workers.U.S law should do more  to protect workers  .The government needs to extend  enforcement efforts and even take moral decisions that favor workers .For example, in 2003 the “special police agency” that was created to protect labor unions arrested active union supporters using trumped-up charges.Dentologists claim this act to be morally unpraiseworthy. Jeremy Bentham, a legal reformist, believed that the most promising way of reaching a morality based agreement was to choose the policy that would bring about the greatest net benefits to society once the harms had been taken into account, “the greatest good for the greatest number (Alexander, 2008). Increasingly, the immigrant workers who do not possess legal documents compose the meatpacking industry’s workforce. It is easy to hire immigrant workers to work under such hostile conditions because they can be threatened and exploited if they seek to organize labor law protection. Another hog worker from North Carolina quotes “We went on strike because management fired the supervisors who backed us up. One manager threatened to call Immigration if we didn’t go back to work right away” (Compa, 2005). Through efforts by Human Rights Watch and few other non-profit organizations  considerable progress has been made in improving the nation’s most dangerous ,dirty and demanding jobs' working conditions. United States human rights and labor rights policy emphasizes on the convention that states  'Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that migrant workers are not deprived of any rights derived from this principle by reason of any irregularity in their stay or employment ( Blood, Sweat and Fear, 2004). Since 1996 Federal immigration agencies are refrained from being involved in labor disputes. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) provides information to the employee and employers in meat packing industry to increase safety in work place. OSHA highlights proper use of control methods to minimize or eliminate health hazards ensuring a unique safe environment to the workers. Possible solutions include implementation of engineering controls such as guardrails, non-skid floors, correct and safe electrical wiring, equipment and machine guarding, and ventilation (OSHA Assistance for meat packing Industry).The safety and health programs depends on effective participation of the management; regular and systematic  worksite analysis to identify hazards. Potential hazards may arise from a change in worksite conditions or practices.OSHA standards therefore, aim at imparting thorough training to the workforce along with stringent prevention and control measures. The United States and its trading partners in the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation have agreed upon in establishing a system that provides benefits and compensation to workers or their dependents in case of any occupational injuries, accidents or fatalities that has happened during the course of employment (Human Rights Standards on Workers' Health and Safety, Workers' Compensation, 2005).   Having canvassed the two main types of ethical theories: utilitarianism and deontology the meat packing companies in America must get accord with conventional notions of their moral duties towards their workers and immigrant workers in particular. Despite these achievements, much work is yet to be done in providing a healthy and safe working life to all workers.  It is our duty to recognize these employees as people, who deserve the same rights and safety as any other worker in our neighborhood.   Reference Andre Claire, Velasquez Manuel (2010) “Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics”. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v2n1/calculating.html Last accessed July 26, 2011. Web Compa, L. (2005) “Abuses Against Workers Taint U.S. Meat and Poultry” Jan 24, 2005 http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/01/24/abuses-against-workers-taint-us-meat-and-poultry.Web. Alexander, L. (2008) "Deontological Ethics.” http://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=ethics-deontological .Web. “Blood, Sweat and Fear. Immigrant Workers in the Meat and Poultry Industry”. http://www.hrw.org/en/node/11869/section/8.Last accessed July 26, 2011. . “OSHA Assistance for the Meat Packing Industry”, United States Department of Labor. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/meatpacking/index.html.Last accessed July 27, 2011 “Human Rights Standards on Workers' Health and Safety, Workers' Compensation”.Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.hrw.org/en/node/11869/section/12.Jan 24, 2005. Read More