The Perilous Conditions for Cleaning Crews in Slaughterhouses

Peter Waldman and Kartikay Mehrotra discuss their article for Bloomberg Businessweek, “America’s Worst Graveyard Shift Is Grinding Up Workers.” The article looks at the safety of third shift workers at meatpacking plants who work on cleaning crews. Most plants outsource this labor to contractors who tend to pay workers less than plant employees and who have fewer worker protections in place. By outsourcing this labor to contractors the meat packing plants are not responsible for the safety of these workers, leaving this largely undocumented workforce to fend for themselves in one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S.