Immigrant Workers' Evaluations of Jobs in the Poultry Processing Industry

OBJECTIVES: Globalization has led to a blurring of the distinctions between standard (“good”) and non-standard (“bad”) jobs. Many immigrant workers now hold jobs that retain some qualities of standard employment arrangements, but are also 3-D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) jobs. There are few data to understand how these workers perceive their jobs and what aspects they do or do not value. This paper uses a qualitative approach to elicit workers' evaluation of the pros and cons of their jobs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Spanish with 65 poultry processing workers in western North Carolina. Workers were asked to discuss job characteristics, physical and psychological impacts of their employment, and perceived health risks. RESULTS: Poultry workers interviewed were 18-68 years of age; most were born in Mexico and Guatemala, with average poultry processing employment of six years. Immigrant workers evaluated their jobs in comparison with other locally-available employment. They valued the stability, good pay, benefits, and upward mobility that poultry processing offered for them and their families. They disliked the physical demands, the potential effects of the job on their health, and the interactions with bosses and peers. CONCLUSION: Workers' willingness to endure 3-D conditions of poultry processing must be understood in the context of other employment options and their focus on immediate family needs that the “good” aspects of these jobs can fulfill. Until these workers have other employment options, they are unlikely to work toward eliminating the “bad” aspects of their jobs that cause occupational injury and illness.