Fast Food Nation Chapter 7

This chapter started off talking about Greeley, Colorado, and first of all, I would despise to live there. I couldn't image having to inhale the veil smell of dead/alive animals, and manure on a daily basis. When it's to the point where it is causing your fellow Greeley neighbors to have headaches, nausea, and sleep deprivation it think that alone is a sign for help.

To me it seems like the meat industry is a crazy business, filled with greedy executives. For the amount of work the workers have to endure is way to much to only have a minimum wage of 9.25 which is more than a third lower then FORTY years ago when the company started. That to me is insane. These workers endure harsh smells, possible risks of amputations, and catching disease from these animals and there wage is pathetic. you would think as time passes on the wages would increase, and health problems would decrease. We can thank A.D. Anderson definitely for numerous health issues. So many health issues in the slaughter houses are occur to unskilled workers that don't know how to properly manage the machines or simply a knife. Due to this lack of knowledge many of the workers become injured and are uninsured. Many of these unskilled workers come from Mexico, Central America, and southeast Asia, and many of them are illegal. In my opinion the workers definitely had a legit reason to go on strike in 1969, for if I lived during that time, and was in their situation, I would be outraged with unfairness. Yes the strikers did have a right to state their opinion for the first amendment states the freedom of speech, but I do think that they went a little too far. There was no need for Them to bare arms, and begin to shoot at the office window, and actually killing someone. Also the bombing of the IBP's general counsel in my opinion is ridiculous. After the long and burtal fight they did get their five-cent commission. I think that the corporations learned that "Going West," was not so much of a good idea!!

To me the natural way of growing cattle no matter how much more expensive it may be, your making a good product for us the American people. Warren Monfort totally lost that mentality and decided to experiment with feeding the cows with grain, instead of native grasses, or hay. yes, he made it out with more money in his pocket, but created an unnatural, and un healthy product that would end up in mouths around the country. To sum it up, i think that the excutive board of IBP made a tremendous amount of mistakes during it's time, and were extremly devious with it's workers, and the American people.

Questions:

1) What changes did IBP bring to the meat packaging industry?
A:They brought the idea of unskilled workers, and lower wages to the workers.

2)How do wages in meat packing plants today compare with wages in the early 1900s, after the workers became unionized?
A: The wages are now $9.25, Which is one third lower then it was when the company first started 40 years ago.

3)Where do meat packing companies go to recruit new employees? What is the “new industrial migrant?”
A: many of the new employees come form Mexico, Central America, and Southeast Asia. A "new industrial migrant," is a migrant that came to American to work in the slaughterhouses.