Slaughterhouse 'gang time' challenged in court

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1708818

Slaughterhouse “gang time” is being challenged in court. Jesse Russell reports:

National Beef Packing Company is facing a federal lawsuit filed by workers at a Liberal, Kansas slaughterhouse. The workers allege the company owes unpaid wages and overtime. The suit is seeking class-action status and was filed on behalf of the nearly 2,000 employees at the plant. It challenges a meat-processing payment system that only compensates workers while the line is running. It echoes lawsuits filed last year against Creekstone Farms in Kansas and Farmland Foods in Illinois. The suit alleges that workers aren’t compensated for time spent waiting in line for equipment, the time it takes to put on and remove gear, and the time it takes to walk to and from the production line. Employees may need to remove and put on gear numerous times during the shift if they take breaks for meals. The payment system is known as “gang time” and is used throughout the meat packing industry.

[pipoman]

1. This patch work of labor exceptions

are nothing more than big business lobbying and donating to political causes to take advantage of workers who don't have a voice. The auto dealers here in Kansas have similar exceptions for salespeople, which is why the showrooms are always full of salespeople..the dealers can load up the floor and screw the majority, especially newbies.

[sharp_stick]

2. I worked for 6 weeks in

a meat packing plant before college, what a hell hole.

Never again, it was by far the worst employment experience of my life. The pay was shitty the working conditions were beyond deplorable and the management damned near psychotic prison guard in nature. I swear, if my line manager had a whip it would have resembled an ancient galley ship more than a modern industry.

Cyril what's his name (line manager) may not know it but I still rate him as the man I despise more than any other person I've ever met.

On the plus side it sure as hell got my grades up in college.