Food Workers: Exploited At Every Stage of Food Production & Distribution

Throughout food production, there are many stages, and many people who work at each stage. Many of these workers are exploited, underpaid immigrants, in search of an opportunity. In the city of New York, fast-food workers were paid around $10.50 and $9.75 for those workers in the rest of the state during the year 2016. After the realization of these underpayments and how workers deserved to earn more, a campaign for a minimum wage salary began, it was called 'The Fight for 15'. This meant raising the minimum wage up to $15 in the city of New York. Growing awareness of the lower wages and labor protections of restaurant workers has also led to a heightened focus on the farm and production workers. Many workers had to function and work under poor conditions and in dangerous settings.

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Low Wages and Few Benefits

The restaurant business is one, if not, the biggest and fastest-growing industry in the United States. Restaurants vary from food trucks to actual establishments inside buildings, but no matter what the location or status of the place is, restaurants employ workers. A vast quantity of these workers receive low wages and have limited benefits. The average pay for restaurant workers, including tips, is ten dollars an hour. Throughout the restaurant industry, many of the workers are actually immigrants and Hispanics who moved from their native countries to the U.S. looking for a better opportunity and a bigger paycheck. Unfortunately for them, the wage is not as high as it should legally be. Most of these Hispanic-working employees work as cooks, dishwashers, or waiters. One of the biggest opportunities granted to workers is retirement plans or something that assures them and grants them a chance to retire at a certain age without having to worry about money. In 2012, just 34 percent...

Produce Workers

Most of these workers are color or people or a minority who live in rural areas. About 75% are Mexicans who have attained citizenship or have a worker visa. These workers are recruited by contractors after being offered a good job and opportunities, a better quality life. Many times, after the workers arrive at their jobs, they realize they did not sign up for that, they were fooled into believing the lies they were told by the contractor. Employers pay their workers under the table cash wages, which is illegal. Throughout their employment, workers face many dangerous and hazardous situations. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, agriculture consistently ranks as one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. Many of the hazards and dangers have to do with the field-workers' health. Agricultural workers experience increased rates of respiratory diseases, noise-induced hearing loss, skin disorders, certain cancers, exposure to to...

Keeping Wages Low

Many of the immigrants who work in the U.S. are undocumented, which grants business owners to take advantage of their employees. Even though the vast majority of these immigrants pay billions in taxes, a big amount of these people are also working unauthorized. Numerous workers are undocumented which means they can be deported. Countless times, these workers are taken advantage of by their bosses by not being paid certain wages they have the right to. Sadly, these employees are at a disadvantage due to their illegal working status. They cannot complain about unpaid wages or hazardous working conditions due to the fact that they run the risk of being deported. This gives employers the power to exploit them and underpay them. As immigrants are suppressed, so are their wages. A study found that 37% of the immigrants working in the United States were victims of minimum wage violations. Some of these people worked more than 40 hours a week and were not paid for overtime spent on work....

Issues in Food: Exploitation of Workers

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