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www.mygmwc.org
greatermnworkercenter@gmail.com
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MORE PAIN, LESS GAIN
KEY FINDINGS:
1. Poultry workers face potential hazards every day even though they are entitled to safe workplace
3. Workers do not always report substantial injuries due to fear of job loss
4. Work Injury Reports can only be described as inadequate and do not reflect the totality of
5. Workers express concerns on how inadequate staffing is creating unsafe working conditions
6. There is a significant need for inspections and enhanced enforcement regarding potential
violations of health, safety and anti-discrimination laws.
7. Pilgrim’s Pride must promote an inclusive workplace culture that is in which all are respected,
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Greater Minnesota Worker Center (GMWC) has completed a seven-month survey of poultry
workers at the Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Cold Spring, Minnesota. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp is the
world’s second largest chicken processor with its corporate office located in Greeley, Colorado.
The mission of Greater Minnesota Worker Center is to support, organize, and build power to
improve working conditions and raise wages for workers and to improve the quality of life in
Greater Minnesota.
The primary goal of our second poultry worker survey is to measure accurately the experiences
of poultry workers and by extension to identify the core issues that are of greatest concern to
workers and to help workers find common solutions to their workplace concerns. We will, in the
process, engage state and federal agencies tasked with enforcement roles to impose
administrative sanctions to remedy the situation. We will demand that Pilgrim’s Pride provide
constructive engagement with workers to address concerns raised in this report without delay.
Our vision is to ensure workers have a safe, healthy and dignified workplace. As this report
indicates the current reality is far from those aspirations. As the survey demonstrates, Pilgrim’s
Pride workers report that they face unsafe workplace conditions including increasing line speeds,
limited access to bathrooms outside of the regularly scheduled breaks, unfair treatment and lack
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ABOUT THE REPORT
Greater Minnesota Worker Center (GMWC) conducted a survey of workers at the Pilgrim’s
Pride chicken processing facility in Cold Spring, Minnesota. We used a simple design in a
questionnaire format with either yes or no answers or with multiple choices questions. We asked
processing workers a series of questions relating to their experiences on the plant floor. The
survey exercise ran from January 2018 to July 2018. We arranged for a meeting with each
worker at a time and place that we believed was convenient for the workers. We asked the
questions directly while providing clarifications of the goals and the framework of each question.
Our primary goal of the survey was to measure accurately the experiences of poultry workers
and to identify the core issues that are most important to the workers in their immediate work
environment. Our secondary objective was to establish whether worker experiences and job site
concerns have improved since Pilgrim’s purchased the plant from Gold’n Plump (GNP) on
January 6, 2017. We then collected and analyzed the data presented in this report. The survey
data collection would not have been possible without the tremendous support of Abdullahi Aden,
our intern, a sociology major from Saint Cloud State University and our Workers Organizing
Committee who worked so hard to persuade fellow workers to participate in the process. Our
Staff organizer and Executive Director have provided oversight and support throughout the
survey process. We believe that the data speaks for itself and speaks to the true experiences of
workers.
In the end, we will compare data from this research with data from previous survey we
conducted in 2016 at the same plant under the management of GNP. The data comparison will
add tremendous value to show whether workers’ concerns have improved, worsened or remained
the same.
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MINNESOTA POULTRY WORKERS SPEAK OUT
We asked the workers to describe, in their own words, various aspects of their work experiences
on the production line and below is a brief summary of what they said:
“The line speed is too fast, yet I have to complete work that two people cannot handle” …Safi*
“The line speed is like a crazy horse”… , “yet I have been written up multiple times for using the
restroom” Yussuf*
Asha* who worked at the plant for nearly 10 years
described the motion of the loaded line speed as “birds
moving like a flying plane”
The line speed is “very fast but it’s a common thing for
everyone” JM*
The line speed is too “fast that when I leave the line two
people have to work in my position” …this speaks to the
challenge of understaffing and overworking employees.
AM
I have been asked “to work mandatory overtime without regard to my family and childcare for
my little children”…BA
“I was asked to do a job I did not train for” B* who works at Retail 2 department
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MINNESOTA POULTRY WORKERS REPORT THAT THEY FACE DANGEROUS
WORKING CONDITIONS:
Protecting the health and safety of workers is important both to workers and employers. Under
federal and state law employers are required to provide workplaces that are free from any known
hazards. Yet, Minnesota’s poultry workers tell us that they are exposed to dangerous working
conditions including excessive line speeds, cold stress and inadequate staffing levels. Indeed, we
asked Pilgrim’s production workers about their worksite safety concerns and whether or not they
have ever been injured. We then documented their responses as indicated below:
98 % of the workers
surveyed expressed
As the graph above demonstrates 98 percent of the workers that Greater Minnesota Worker
Center surveyed expressed concerns about occupational safety. These concerns emanated from a
number of reported hazards that can either be reduced or eliminated altogether, including but not
limited to excessive line speeds, wet floors, chemical spills, musculoskeletal injuries and
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inadequate staffing levels. Workers tell us economic considerations take primacy over saving
B. WORKPLACE INJURIES:
3 out of 10
workers
say they have sustained injuries
at work
When asked whether they had experienced an injury at work, 27 percent of the workers
responded yes. This is 3 of every 10 workers at the Cold Spring Plant. The sad truth is that
workers said that they do not necessarily report injuries either out of fear of potential job loss or
the concern that management may not take their reports seriously. Some workers told GMWC
during the survey exercise that they only report injuries if they believe that it is so severe as to be
debilitating or a threat to their immediate health. Most workers say they get back to work even
though they are still in pain and need more time to heal their injuries. Workers say hazardous job
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While many of the workers we surveyed told us that they have both a concern and an experience
of occupational health and safety hazards, they identify physical pain (47%) and excessive line
speeds (22%) as the number one and number two causes of concern. Additionally, they describe
wet, freezing or slippery floors, chemical spills, and dangerous machines as other causes of
concern.
One of the workers interviewed told GMWC that he personally saw a woman trip, fall and
sustain an injury, but when he asked her to report the accident, she said she does not want
to lose her job. In the end, she reported it a few days later when she could not manage the
pain caused by her injury’ However, she felt she was interrogated as though she had
In a separate incident:
A worker was transporting ice intended to preserve the chicken meat but slipped on a wet
floor in the production area. One fellow worker asked him if he wanted help to report the
2. LINE SPEED
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Workers identify excessive line speed as a major occupational safety concern. Extremely fast
line speeds cause workers overexertion and repetitive motion injuries. Workers say extremely
fast line speeds cause them potentially debilitating lower back pain, neck pain, dizziness and
carpal tunnel syndrome. Workers say reducing lines and ergonomic workplace design can
improve conditions.
Sadly, 100 percent of the survey respondents state that the line speed is too fast. This unanimous
agreement speaks to the shared experiences of Minnesota’s most hard working poultry
processers. Asha*, one of the workers interviewed described the motion of the loaded line speed
as “birds moving like a flying plane”. Asha has been fired for seeking medical care after a
reaction to braces.
Workers tell GMWC that while increased line speeds may enhance performance outputs, helps
Pilgrims meet market goals and maximizes returns on investment, the excessive line speeds
jeopardizes long-term employee health, potentially leads to loss of work time due to
injuries, pose a risk of high workforce turnover and potentially result in shortage of
experienced workers on the line. In essence, it would benefit Pilgrim’s Pride in the long-term
to maintain acceptable line speeds with appropriate ergonomic considerations even though the
emphasis is often otherwise as workers say.
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3. UNFAIR TREATMENT
A. RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION
Lack of religious accommodation is a major concern for Muslim employees who form the
backbone of production workers at Pilgrim’s Cold Spring plant. Workers tell us that their
employer refused any requests for religious accommodation for the Muslim daily prayers, for
breaking fast or eating predawn meals during Ramadan and for time off to celebrate with
their family during the annual religious festivals of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha days; These
working hours.
100 percent of the Muslim workers interviewed told GMWC that they do not get any prayer
breaks during working hours. The company allows them to pray on their regular breaks but often
times, regularly-scheduled breaks do not coincide with the appropriate prayer times for Muslim
employees. The lack of religious accommodation is causing many workers to quit out of
frustration with the reported lack of management willingness to address their issues. Workers say
that those who insist on observing their religious obligations have been issued warning letters or
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B. RESTROOM BREAKS
Q6. How many bathroom breaks do you get 90 percent of the survey respondents
in a week?
say they are only allowed to use the
Only 10 percent of the production employees have access to bathroom breaks outside of
C. WORKPLACE CONFLICT:
86 %
of respondents say
management does not
fairly resolve conflicts
86 percent of the workers who participated in this poultry survey agreed that management does
not fairly address issues or conflict at work. Only 7 workers said otherwise.
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D. PENALTY FOR BEING SICK
Q9: When you or a family member you care for gets sick before or during your scheduled
Consequently 53 percent of production floor workers stay home without pay while the
remaining 47 percent tell us that they come to work sick instead of caring for themselves or
for their loved ones. One explanation for this problem is that Pilgrim’s uses point system for
attendance. So when Pilgrim’s purchased the plant last year they reduced the number of points
that production employees could use from 12 to 6 points in one year. In addition, the former
owner, GNP, often allowed employees to use one attendance point for three consecutive days of
absence and Pilgrim’s Pride has taken away that privilege as well. Workers tell us that they can
now use one point for only one day of absence. Workers report that even if an employee works
for 6 hours and leaves two hours early or arrives to a scheduled work shift two hours late the
employee is still assigned points for attendance that counts against their total 6 attendance points
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E. RESPECT AND DIGNITY
Q13: Have you ever faced disrespectful, belittling or discriminatory treatment from
your lead/supervisor/HR?
Resources Personnel.
4. INADEQUATE STAFFING
94 percent of the workers surveyed stated that their jobsite does not have adequate staffing
levels. Only six respondents said they feel their work place has sufficient personnel.
Inadequate staffing levels exposes workers to greater occupational safety risks because each
employee bears the burden of doing an excessive amount of work. Workers describe
without regard to family and other personal obligations and adverse impacts on the quality of
their production. Workers say insufficient staffing levels is so dire that it is exacerbating their
health and safety concerns and increases risk exponential for injuries including carpal tunnel
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Q12: Do you feel your job has adequate staffing levels?
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and MNOSHA must
enforce violations of workplace safety laws, and health standards in this workplace.
2. Pilgrim’s Pride must maintain accurate record keeping of all work-related injuries,
accidents immediately and provide help to those who are Limited English Proficient
5. Increase staffing levels to reduce injuries and safety concerns. Minimize unfair firings
6. Pilgrim’s Pride must conduct credible investigations into frequent or recurring causes of
accidents to remove risks that may lead to death, dismemberment of limbs, pain or
suffering.
promote safety and conduct ongoing worker engagement on accident prevention and
8. Promote a culture of corporate responsibility for safety issues instead of shifting blame to
workers who are hurt in the cause of their duty at the processing plants.
9. Accommodate Muslim daily Prayers and provide better access to restrooms when
workers need.
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10. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) must investigate the concerns
workers have expressed in this report and must hold Pilgrim’s accountable for potential
Vs
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3 out of 10 have reported experiencing work-related injury (2018)
86% of respondents say management does not fairly address conflict (2018)
84% of respondents say management does not fairly address conflict (2016)
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94% of respondents say their jobsite does not have adequate staffing levels (2018
86% of respondents say their jobsite does not have adequate staffing levels (2016)
SUMMARY:
As is evident from this report, Minnesota’s poultry workers at Pilgrim’s Pride face grueling
religious discrimination and unfair treatment adversely affects the well-being of workers, their
families and their long-term productivity. Employers of low wage workers such as those who
hire poultry processing workers often greatly emphasize short-term production goals to meet the
needs to supply their customers. Employers need to place equal emphasize on worker health and
safety, improving care when injuries occur to minimize rampant medical malpractices, increased
inspections by state and federal regulatory institutions, ending reported religious discrimination
and providing adequate sensitivity training to functional managers such as supervisors, line leads
and human resources managers. Workers are not machines and can wear out if they have to be
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tasked to meet extreme line speeds, handle repetitive motion involving cutting with blunt knives
or scissors as reported or are asked to stand in a single, raised position for 8-10 hours without
rotation. Pilgrim’s Pride must implement ergonomic designs to improve worker safety and must
end the apparent violations of religious and civil rights of Muslim workers.
SOURCES:
• https://www.bls.gov/iif/laborcommreport061908.pdf
• http://www.pilgrims.com/our-company/about-us.aspx
• https://www.sctimes.com/story/money/2016/11/29/pilgrims-pride-plans-buy-st-cloud-
based-gnp/94605540/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457513002972
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