Reply #32: Meatpacking is hard work, but Swift and others don't want to pay

[Critters2]

what the work is worth. Instead, they underpay and hire undocumented workers. It would be interesting to see what would happen if they had to pay a living wage for this work. I believe citizens and legal immigrants would be willing to do the work, if the pay were commensurate with the job. Underpaying workers drags down all wages and lowers the standard of living of everyone--especially those in communities with large numbers of underpaid workers.

Far from helping our economy to survive, I fear the hiring practices of Swift, DeCoster and others damage our economy. Workers--whether legal or not--should be paid what their work is truly worth. The employers get around this by hiring those desperate enough to work for less than a fair wage. And we all suffer.

Of course, all of this occurs so that Americans can have cheap meat. Those of you who eat meat should expect to pay what it is really worth--the true cost of production. But that would drive up the price of dead animal flesh. Can't have that! So, we exploit workers, instead. So your hot dogs don't cost too much.