TYSON CHICKEN -- I will buy no more of their products.

Great Debates
1

Basically, because of the following, taken from Michael Moore’s website and also because I am just damn sick of major corporations getting off with teeny, tiny little fines when they kill people, poison cities and cause billions in damages.

*Last year, Tyson had seven workers die in job-related accidents!

In July, two workers died when they fell into an open pit of decomposing chicken parts and by-products. When one worker was lowered into the pit by a crane to retrieve a bucket, he was overcome by the methane fumes emitted by the pit and subsequently fell in. A second worker tried to rescue the first, but was also overcome and fell into the pit. Both died from suffocation. Noting that most plants no longer store offal in open pits, UFCW President Douglas Dority charged, “It is criminal that Mr. [James] Dame and Mr. [Michael] Hallum were killed in a confined space incident that was completely preventable.”

In October, the Department of Labor fined Tyson $59,274 for violations of federal child labor laws in Arkansas and Missouri that resulted in the death of 15 year-old Juan Calvin Alderete. From a DOL press release: “Investigators in Arkansas found that a 15-year-old was electrocuted shortly after midnight when he bumped into a fan while working as a “chicken catcher.” Federal child labor laws prohibit the employment of minors under 16 years of age in any processing activity such as poultry processing. The law also prohibits 14-and 15-year-olds from working between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., except during summer months when they may work until 9 p.m…The investigation at the Missouri plant revealed that a 15-year-old, also illegally employed in poultry processing, seriously injured both legs when he slipped and fell into an auger. The minor suffered severe nerve damage and second degree burns. The injury occurred at 1:20 a.m., well past the quitting time required under the child labor provisions. Three other minors, one 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds, were also found to have been unlawfully employed at this facility.” It’s incredible that these violations would result in a mere $60,000 fine. One would assume that the lives of children would be taken a little more seriously.

Other deaths resulted from being tangled in a conveyor belt, falls, and a head trauma received by a Maryland man who was hit by the rotating paddles of a chiller tank he was cleaning

Tyson was also sued last year by workers who said they were cheated out of $200 million in wages!

The fed up Tyson workers at a Cleveland, Mississippi plant voted to unionize after being forced to work with injuries, a limit of one 7 minute bathroom break per day, and even sexual harassment by management.

Even with a track record like this, Republicans proposed a tax package that included lucrative new tax incentives for Tyson as well as other worker-friendly corporations like Microsoft (I’m sure Bill needs the extra money), Lockheed Martin (already a huge recipient of wealthfare), and our old friends at General Motors. Like Lily Tomlin said, “No matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up.”*

What do you think? Alaska is STILL recovering from the massive oil spill that EXXON got fined pennies for creating and ** most** oil tankers are still single hulled.

2

Well, yeah, they did get off way too easily there-and I don’t really support wealthfare either. But really I’m only responding to this in order to push it up a bit since it needs more attention than it seems to be getting, thats all.
(Although I would be curious to see if anyone here does support the wealthfare system…)

3

I never buy Tyson chickens because Tyson is responsible for bankrolling the political career of Bill “The President” Clinton, an evil sociopath and serial rapist.

So you say Tyson is itself an evil company?

Doesn’t surprise me. . .

“This day is called the Feast of Crispian,” --Henry V

4

If Tyson is as negligent as Sentinel claims, why doesn’t someone just mount a class-action suit against them? Damage awards from such a suit would doubtlessly total over a hundred million dollars.

5

A class action lawsuit? I’m no expert, in fact I try to avoid workers comp discussions at work based on my boss’s practice of “you know about that? Okay, that’s your job now.”

But employees injured at work have to use the work comp system and are precluded from privately suing their employers. Value is assigned to lives, body parts, injuries, disabilities, etc. and that’s the employee’s only recourse.

But their OSHA fines should be astronomical, if these reports are true.

6

Amen brother-read “PARTNERS IN POWER” for the straight dope on Don Tyson’s evil chicken empire. Tyson has pulluted the rivers of Arkansas wholesale (by dumping chicken guts and shit) into them. Their trucks have also destroyed the highways (thanks to an overweight exemption granted them by then-governor Clinton).In addition, they have rigged the chicken futures markets, and broken many labor laws.

7

AuntiePam: Are you sure employees can’t sue their employers, even if their employers were grossly negligent? I seem to remember a suit by an employee who lost his arm thanks to a negligently unprotected whirling saw blade, to the tune of some 8 million bucks.

8

Worker’s deaths are only part of the story. Chicken and turkey farming is BIG business.
It used to be that farmers raised a few hundred chickens each to suppliment thier income. Their farms were diverse and provided a varity of needs in the community.
Now adays large corparations such as Tyson, Coopers, Weavers and a bunch of other multinational farm co-ops are building HUGE poultry farms in peviously pristine farm areas. It is not uncommon to see fiftey huge chicken farms within a 5 mile radius. Any idea how much chicken waste that produces! Any idea how bad that smells!
The point is that these mega farms are taxing the enviroment in backwater communities that are not prepared to deal with them. The stuff is so bad that they have to rebuild chicken houses every few years because no material can stand to be exposed to it, cheaper to buld new ones.
They also tend to hire a lot of migrate worker’s. I try not to be prejudice but it is common knowledge around here that the migrates are storing large amounts of cocaine and pot in these buildings because drug dogs can not sniff them out there.
On the other hand, I like chicken.It just pisses me off that we can’t find a better way to produce it.

9

Tracer, like I said, I’m not an expert. Do you think the person you heard about might have sued the manufacturer of the saw, rather than the employer? Or the employer sued the manufacturer. ??

It might be a whole different ballgame if gross negligence is involved, rather than lack of proper training, equipment malfunction, or someone’s carelessness.

A worker was killed at our plant in 1988, when he was working inside a press. He didn’t use proper lockout procedures, and another worker hit the button, crushing him. His widow was paid a set value for his life (based on age, earnings, etc.) and gets a pension, but there was never a question about her ability to sue.

I suspect it may have been actionable if the press had malfunctioned because of a design defect or something.

Geez, where are the lawyers when we could really use one?

10

Everybody seems to be concentrating on fines and/or punitive damages- but what about criminal prosecution? It seems to me the responsible managers should be charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Civil penalties may be a deterrent if large enough, but I’ll wager the sight of colleagues being hauled off to the slammer would be an even better deterrent.

11

No doubt there are problems with Tyson. But are they other mass-producers/sellers of poultry (or eggs, beef, pork, etc.) who are any better?

12

The Amish make there own brand, can’t recall what it is off hand.

13

I knew someone who had close contact with poultry processing while growing up. She would never eat chicken!

Does anyone else remember the news item a couple years ago about one of the fast-food chicken joints - something to the effect that they cut off the legs of the living chickens so they couldn’t move around? I think they lived on mesh floors. Yikes! :frowning:

14

Sage, I believe that was a KFC UL. It was discussed somewhere on the boards not long ago. You might try the search feature as I am too lazy to hunt down a link.

Suffice it to say the rumor wasn’t true.

Careful with that axe, Eugene.

15

The UL was that KFC was using genetically engineered chickens that were born without legs. The story about cutting off legs is quite possibly true; I know that they are kept in pretty terrible conditions.

–John

16

Urban Legend – I read it also. Go to www.michaelmoore.com and read about TYSON. Usually, he lists ways to lodge protests about them. (Read ‘Those Keystone Cubans’ also and get a great laugh over true history.)

17

You should see how they treat the CHICKENS!

Buy free-range chickens!*
*Well, unless boneless skinless chicken breasts are on sale for $1.99/lb. or less. It’s hard to be politically minded consumer when you’re poor.

18

Rich and beans is cheapest, best for you and least harmful to (actually good for) the enviro.

I have been a lacto/ovo vegatarian, and have since been eating some beef and ham, but i won’t touch chicken - it don’t tast right aymore…it’s too…“fluffy” and chewy…yuck.

19

Tyson chicken is kind of like the DeBeers of Arkansas. They are making deals with local farmers to use their chicken houses, with Tyson most likely subsidizing feed or transportation. I couldn’t drive through Prairie Grove without seeing Tyson signs next to every chicken house. Let’s not forget the huge ‘Center for Poultry Excellence’ at the college in Fayetteville. My guess is that the local chicken farmers have to collaborate with Tyson, or be muscled out of existance.

Tyson has been responsible for all sorts of atrocities in the past–IIRC, wasn’t the big fire that killed so many workers due to the chained-up emergency exits a Tyson plant?

I don’t buy Tyson stuff, not because of their past, but because it’s all so damn expensive. If they are cutting so many corners with safety and human rights abuses, where is the saved money going? Sounds like someone needs an IRS audit…

-sb

They say the Lord loves drunks, fools and little children.
Two out of three ain’t bad.

20

Jane, I wouldn’t have posted that item if I had heard it thru email or such. But I personally read it in the newspaper, which of course could be sued if incorrect! And I knew it was KFC, but I just refrained from saying that. :slight_smile: Hoonose - they may all treat their chickens that way! :frowning: