Friday, March 18, 2005

Bird Flu and the Future Of The Labor Movement

Revere at Effect Measure manages to weave together the impending Bird Flu crisis, workplace safety & health, organizing and the future of the labor movement, all in one short post:
The bird flu situation should remind us that there is an important occupational health and safety issue here for poultry workers. A major population of the poultry workers is in the south. Health and safety, especially if it potentially involves the families and children of workers, is a potent organizing issue, more so than wages. The ergonomic and injury issues of great concern to poultry workers can be strengthened by adding an infectious disease that can be brought home to the list of issues. Organized labor should be alerted to this problem and begin to organize poultry workers around it.