The Maya of Morganton

Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among a cohort of women employed in poultry processing

“…The citing of poultry processing plants with their associated work risks, largely in depressed, disadvantaged areas of the rural southern US, with the employment of large numbers of workers of color-often African-Americans or Latinos-illustrates how work can contribute to disparities in health that might otherwise be attributed to characteristics of the population. This happens while helping producers keep their costs low [Griffith, 1993;Nowell, 2000;Fink, 2003].…”

“…Based on community concerns and the history of the industry's poor labor relationships, locally as well as nationally [NC Dept of Labor, 1989;Kiken et al, 1990;Griffith, 1993;Human Rights Watch, 2000;Fink, 2003], we conducted the study in a manner that did not require the cooperation of the employer. This decision influenced the research methods and necessitated community involvement.…”

Musculoskeletal symptoms among poultry processing workers and a community comparison group: Black women in low‐wage jobs in the rural South

“…Much of the processing of birds is done in the rural South by workers of color. The hiring of vulnerable workers, often blacks and immigrants, for this labor intensive work has helped producers keep costs low [Griffith, 1993;Nowell, 2000;Fink, 2003].Modern poultry processing plants are highly organized structures designed for the rapid slaughter, disassembly and packaging of birds [Campbell, 1999], with the work characterized by rapid line speed and extreme division of labor. High levels of morbidity among poultry-processing workers have been reported for years by a number of sources, including researchers, journalists and workers [Armstrong et al, 1982;Hall, 1989;Kiken et al, 1990;Anthan, 1991;Joseph and Bloswick, 1991;Stuart-Buttle, 1994;Young et al, 1995;Yassi et al, 1996;Campbell, 1999 We responded to a request from women in a small nonprofit advocacy organization to evaluate health effects of employment on black women working in poultry processing in northeastern North Carolina.…”

“…Details of the longitudinal study design have been previously reported [Lipscomb et al, 2005]; key features relevant to the current crosssectional analysis are described here. Based on the poor occupational safety history of the industry [Griffith, 1993;Linder, 1995; Human Rights Watch, 2000;Fink, 2003] including the specific plants in the study area [NC Dept of Labor, 1989;Kiken et al, 1990] and concerns of women in the community, the project was designed to circumvent the need to involve the employer. This decision necessitated community involvement.…”

Looking for Work: Placing Labor in Food Studies

“…Leon Fink shows how mergers and buyouts in food-processing industries over the past several decades, especially in meat production, have resulted in the loss of unionized jobs, declining wages, and deteriorating conditions of work. 107 In her ethnography of the experiences of cannery women forty years after the period of Ruiz's study, Patricia Zavella found that the seasonality of cannery jobs undermined women's power within their own households. Women cannery workers struggled to not only negotiate the ebbs and flows of seasonal labor but also to navigate family and community life outside of the shop floor, in spaces where they were not necessarily viewed as legitimate workers.…”