Food Chain Workers
Alliance has issued a new report on wages and working conditions of workers
across the entire food chain, a sector that employs 20 million people in the
U.S. "The
Hands That Feed Us: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Along the Food
Chain" is based on nearly 700 surveys and interviews with workers and
employers in food production, processing, distribution, retail and service.
Some key findings:
- Lack of benefits: 79% of food system workers do not have a single paid sick day, or do not know if they have paid sick days, and 58% lack health coverage. Consequently, 53% have admitted to working while sick.
- Poor quality of life: 10% reported working more than 10 hours per day, and most reported working 60 or more hours per week. Almost half of respondents work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
- Improper safety training: More than half of all workers surveyed (52%) reported that they did not receive safety and health training from employers. Almost one-third (32.7%) reported that their employers did not always provide necessary equipment to do their jobs.