Sunday, November 13, 2016

Will Unemployed Trump Voters Load Turkeys for $11 an Hour?

In May, I had an arbitration involving a large turkey processing plant. Four workers were fired for refusing to go to work until they were paid more. None spoke English. They testified in Spanish with an interpreter.
They broke the rules; I upheld their terminations. But their complaint has stuck in my mind.
Going out in teams of 8 workers per truck, they loaded about 6,000 turkeys per night from 8:30 p.m. till 5:00 a.m. Each turkey weighed about 40 pounds. The workers alternated between chasing turkeys into a chute and manning the top of the conveyor, where they quickly lifted the birds into cages, closed the door, and waited for the incoming turkey.
If these workers were unlawfully in the U.S., they may be among the 2-3 million scheduled for imminent deportation. If these workers are lawfully in the U.S., their family members might be deported.

Here is my question: In the southern Indiana county that voted 70% for Trump, how many white workers will fill their jobs at $11 per hour? 
Here’s hoping that if that foreign workforce is sent packing, the unemployed whites along the roads where I passed confederate flags head on down to the plant and apply for this work.

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