The Chain by Ted Genoways gives us insight into an aspect of production many of us take for granted. In our country, cheap, easy to make food is readily available and we put very little thought into its existence prior to it being on a grocery store shelf. Aside from the obvious lack of nutrition, it is so cheap because of the employees who risk injury every day to keep up with the speed of the conveyor belt. They are overworked and underpaid all in an attempt to improve their life; a pursuit that becomes rather counterproductive when they risk their health in the process.
The book is prefaced with the story of Maria Lopez, a Hormel employee whose finger was severed while working. While her blood covered the belt and Maria was rushed the hospital, they continued production. She attempted to return to Hormel, but even after several surgeries, the injury made her slower and the speed of the conveyor belt only increased. Whether it be from the injury or her rightful disgust with the company’s lack of empathy for its employees, she left her job.
However, Maria is not the only factory worker that paid the price of cheap meat. Her husband lost the end of his pinky, his friend had several of his fingers cut off and others do not even face injuries caused directly by the machines. A man referred to as Matthew Garcia worked on the production line, but never lost a limb. He spent eight hours straight in a hot room and was covered in a layer of blood until he woke up one day unable to walk. He was a young, healthy man and his legs seemed to be unexplainably paralyzed. The cause of which ended up being a severe spinal cord inflammation. One day he was working on the line with flu-like symptoms and the next he was hospitalized. All while the belt kept running.
Matthew was not an isolated incident. Richard Schindler received nearly a dozen patients who all suffered from the death of peripheral nerves. They were all young and they all worked at Quality Pork Processors near or at the head table. While doctors were able to find ways to aid the workers, the damage done to their psyche was still there.
Along with the effects of being bedridden for several weeks (as he was diagnosed with acute adjustment disorder), he endured tremendous panic when he returned to the head table. He feared his condition worsening again when he was exposed to the same mist of blood that had caused him so much pain in the first place. Although he was able to find another job, his condition was irreversible.
Hormel began as a company run by a man who made the best out of bad situations. When the economy took a downturn, George Hormel increased his importing. When his competitors flooded the market with fresh meat, he began selling smoked meat for less. The company thrived when the rest of the company was in a depression and were willing to buy cheap food. This food was cheaper in part because Jay Hormel (George's son) never raised his workers’ wages even though the company was seeing rising profits. While labor laws and organizations such as the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration have definitely improved the conditions of factory workers over the years, their health is still put at risk for the sake of profit.
Many of these workers suffering has gone unnoticed because they are a part of a larger company that sees its employees as disposable. If an employee is injured, they can easy be replaced. They are mostly immigrants living under false names who are simply trying to improve their own life and take care of their families. A noble goal that should not come at the cost of one’s health.
