If they complain about any of this they can expect to lose their job almost immediately Fired, right away, on the spot, said one worker named Alvaro. Horrid as they are, these jobs are often the only ones or the highest paying ones in small towns. The conditions are very dangerous, said one worker. And workers aren t trained well for the machinery. One machine has a whirling blade that catches people in it.
Workers lose fingers.
One woman s breast got caught in it and got torn off. Another s shirt got caught and her face was dragged into it. This physical and mental stress results in rampant spousal abuse and alcoholism. My husband had been back at work a year and his hand was still grossly deformed from the injury he d gotten at the plant, said one worker s wife. One day he broke down.