Meatpacking: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The complex mary logically attract because moat coincidently joke opposite a quiet poultry. lucky, warlike cupboard

immigrant and my mother worked in Tyson for many years dealing with horrible conditions. And No they don’t get pay enough for the job they do.

We clearly need more libertarianism /s

The inconsequential John Oliver.

how convenient to mention the immigrants in passing without adressing how modern slavery is precisely the business of putting people in a position of cooperation with capital or being handed over to the cops, which isnt much of a choice at all. mayhaps adressing the vulnerability of such a group would help the resources being exploited unfairly by corporations. just a thought.

Thats one way to open up

Kroger killed the Meat Packers Union years ago.

Wow and he didn’t even mention the poultry workers in GA getting frozen to death with Nitrogen in January

11 years I haven't eaten a piece of meat and will never again. No one has to eat meat to live, less alone to survive. I am far from alone, some have been vegan since birth. If you eat well and do it right you are the healthiest person you can be. Don't forget cigarettes were offered in hospitals and Doctors prescribed them etc, back in the day! Think about it! It's all $$$$$$$$. No one needs meat to live. As Paul McCartney wisely said "if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian".

Crazy how it's never gonna change either

Most vegans and vegetarians are very aware about the meat industry’s “ways”. This is not even the whole of it-impacts on the environment and disease spreading is a whole other section of the glacier. Aside from the cruelty as well.

Remember pink slime ? When ABC reported this story the meat industry sued ABC into silence . Fast food companies swore off " fillers " ( lean finely textured beef - LFTB - pink slime ) until Feb 21 2017 when the GOP forced the USDA to declare that LFTB is 100 % beef ; safe for consumption & exempt from food labeling laws . Since then fast food companies & grocers no longer have to tell you what's in your hamburger . Fast food companies can lawfully tell you there's no filler , regardless . There used to be an old saying " Anyone can sell a sh*t sandwich but the jig is up after the 1st bite . " Apparently , not anymore . Most people don't care . I kind of think that had the movie " Soylent Green " been released today that after Charlton Heston yelled " It's people ! " the response would've been " So what ... "

Huh

"Make America great again." Every sane person: When was America great, again?

Wonder how this show is trending? Hes he's swearing and it isn't music?

@14:08 165 years! That's the time it takes for Neptune, the most distant planet, to orbit the sun.

Fun fact: the head of the US Department of Agriculture who loosened federal regulation of meatpacking, allowed poultry plants to self-inspect, and oversaw corporate consolidation in this sector was appointed back to that position by Biden and was just confirmed by the Senate.

Well Said!

Once he started talking about line speeds, and how workers are kept from ever leaving their positions, all I could think of was the Thomas Ligotti story, “Our Temporary Supervisor.” Don’t dare go question the odd shape behind the frosted glass. Best to keep your head down, and mimic the work of the mysterious new employee who can produce at lightning speed, even one handed while eating.

Great Info Bad Pottymouth

The steel mills of this country treat all their indentured servants the same way.

Please!Check my song. 👍👍

White collar crime does far more economic damage, and even kills more people, every year than street crime. And this sort of thing is how it manages that death toll. But, for some reason, Americans just don't care about white collar crime. It is rarely, and only ever lightly, punished in comparison to street crime. Snatch a purse? Go to prison. Save 80 cents by not installing some guard rails and end up amputating the arms of 9 meatpacking workers? Eh, maybe the company will get some minor fine. The American upper class are almost universally criminals thanks to white collar crime and its widespread tolerance by the American public.

I can hear the soundtrack to Team America as I'm watching this.

Meat packing has been horrific for at least the last 40 or more years. The first horrific almost necessitating worker safety. i.e. OSHA

How about saying phuck once in a while.

WTF Texas fight for your rights instead of just bending over

In Finland it wud take only one phonecall to stop this kaind of actions!!😱 We have wery effectiv safety on our workers and its in your contract that you can see the workdoctor when ever you need to see him and usually it takes 0-1 days to get there! It dibents how sirious it is! Be safe usa!🇫🇮❤️✌️

The chivalrous cheek maternally guarantee because scarf modestly exist apropos a steep sister. waiting, clumsy building

That loose definition of a family member checks out for many modern Americans. I'm surprised getting hurt on the job doesn't get you sent straight to the state run nursing home!

And the consumer costs will continue to rise despite these companies implementing THE BARE MINIMUM for both employee and product safety. Watch the chicken industry documentary from Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me, then be prepared to DESPISE BOTH THE INDUSTRY, THE PROCESSOR AND THE GOVERNMENT "OVERSIGHT" AND "PROTECTION" AGENCIES.

Everyone bitching about the state of the meat-packing industry: Are you still supporting it by buying meat from a grocery store? Either stop eating meat entirely, or find a local farmer/butcher.

They might want to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Okkkkkkkk

Great video.

Isn't it weird how essentially all of these problems would be resolved if factory workers had basically *any* amount of control over company decision-making? Everyone should be joining a union and joining their local DSA to prevent workplace exploitation like this. Make your voice heard in your workplace. Deregulation is happening to every industry- unionizing is more important now than it ever has been.

Capitalism is trashhhhhhh

In the mid 1990s a good semi automated chicken processing line can max out at 120 birds per minute. Consumer organizations have lobbied to block relief for standards from the USDA act from the 1930s.... e.g. each and every chicken has to be inspected after evisceration to include a visual and sniff test but no legal requirement to test for bacteria. Bacteriological testing is done as a contractual requirement by the plant's liability insurance but no by law.

My mom lost a finger and broke both thumbs from working in a Tyson plant. And that's just the FIRST serious injury due to (imo) criminally horrible OSHA violations she's had in the 20+ years she's worked there.

Maybe we could just not eat so much cheapass meat.

Give up meat. I know it sounds crazy but you will feel 1000x better in a month. So light, fresh, and clear headed.❤️

We should all consider how our American diet is contributing to these things. The switch to these corporate farms was necessitated by the growing demand for meat. The population is growing, but so is our appetite. There's no excuse for these abuses, but rather than sitting back and shaking our heads, we can make some changes. If we ALL bought and ate a little less meat, the demand would go down, and maybe these plants could slow down. Just a suggestion.

geez, why is everyone fat?

Zimmerman is a symptom of America.

The worst part is the only solution to this is automation leaving these people unemployed. They’re in between a rock and a hard place through no fault of their own.

funny we can critique this art but not your buddies.

and that train coming north will just make it worse.

*clears throat in Karl Marx*

Burn that shit to the ground

I worked at McDonald’s and kinda made a bet on who would get it, turns out Nobody got it

anyone getting total upton sinclair vibes? someone boutta write the jungle 2.0

Ee-mur-SHUH-inn blender

Murica! Fuck yeah!

America is a failed state. We’ve stripped our government of the ability to actually take care of its citizens.

Almost like working in Amazon. Hell is becoming like this everywhere bigger facilities more likely to be like this!

Maybe people should, ya know, stop buying Tyson products. Just a thought.

These hard working people are who are demonized at the border. They endure what many can't. What would you endure for your family?

Companies don't say that Opting-out of Workers' Comp is optional. When I moved from California to Texas I was told that I had to sign it.

I worked at a chicken processing plant over a decade ago. Its EXACTLY as described by John Oliver. In fact, its probably worse.

A $10,000 check is not a blank check.

I know a guy that complains that the problem is "everyone wants to pay less," but he'll never acknowledge that it's about the large profit margins the executives want to maintain for themselves.

Normal Day in the greatest country on earth! Fuck yeah

This is why unions are important people🤬

7:17 - the immersion blender joke might be the most awkward joke in this episode lol

Okay, I very rarely eat beef or pork. Now I need to cut out chicken, and I am sure there is probably some reason I should not eat seafood. Plus, am I putting people out of work by cutting out chicken? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

..a blank $10,000 check. That doesn't make any sense.

Important topic BUT not a single word about workers union. Of course not, because it would be socialism and that the business daddies don't like. Too bad John Oliver is their puppet that is denied to dance to his own tune. Just looking problems on the surface here. It is better than nothing of course. It would shake the people in power if problems were really traced to the core and shown in shows like this.

OSHA should hire the employees who get violated on the daily.

I wasn't sure if I should become a vegan. Now I'm sure I will.

I worked in the HR Team for a meatpacking organization acquired by JBS. While at the facility, I routinely and internally reported a health and safety state mandate not being adhered to by the facility. After communicating the issue several times, the plant manager and many within the organization came after me, shaming me for voicing the violation upwards and they essentially told me to silence my voice or choose a different organization to work for. I called them out for infringing on my constitutionally protected rights and subsequently protected rights under state law. After this incident, I left the company.

No, the grim conditions animals are facing in factory farms do not get talked about enough.

I'm getting closer and closer to being vegan I swear. I already swore off pork after seeing a documentary, now I just cant support poultry factories. They should be boycotted and then unionized if opened again. All I got left is beef, ....sigh

Is this a story about Jon and his boyfriend? 🤦🏻‍♂️

This guy complains a lot but does nothing about it unless it’s a joke and in his show and network favor.

Who dat?

"The Jungle"- Upton Sinclair

“The Jungle” ~ Upton Sinclair, 1906

Go vegan

This whole industry is disgusting on so many levels!! Stop killing innocent animals!!!

Everyone should stop buying meat for a month (preferably a year) and help support better working conditions for those workers. Reading Slaughterhouse is a good start to begin with.

Yes John Oliver, the purveyor of intelligent information. BWAHAHAAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! What a slimeball!

Never forget that Trump signed an exec order increasing the speed on meat packing plant line speeds.

Wow. An episode that's not about trump. Ahhh the good ol days.

BOYCOTTS WORK! Engage in them if you give shit about workers.

If you think this kind of deregulation in favor of giant corporations is bad, check out what the Red States' GOP legislatures are doing to voting rights right now.

The USDA and OSHA must be given back the resources, personnel, and teeth and claws they need to keep these companies in check.

Thank you for an interesting and disgusting look at meatpacking. The workers are truly "animals" to the industry, easily replaced with someone else. However, you are missing the most important issue here. The corporations are providing a service that consumers are demanding more and more, dead animals to eat. While corporate methods are linear and profit-oriented, they are just following capitalistic values. Where is the outcry from consumers who participate in this industry by buying their products?. Consumer demand fuels the industry and help cause the increase in line speeds and worker injuries. Consumers have the choice to STOP EATING AND KILLING THE ANIMALS THESE COMPANIES EXPLOIT, instead of criticizing the companies and putting all of the blame on them. Switching to a 'natural' animal to eat does not solve the problem, the smaller farmers are getting larger and are raising animals on miniature factory farms, on grass, and their animals are trucked to slaughterhouses as well. Go vegan, to start to save 9 billion chickens a year that will not be killed in the U.S. every year. Watch "earthlings" to see things from the animals perspective. peace.

This has been attitude towards line workers in the USA for CENTURIES. Don't kid yourself: CEOs and COOs don't give a furry crack what happens to the workers. All that matters to them is the stock price and their own golden parachutes.

I'm done being surprised by conditions in your country. You could have the managers dressed in slave owner clothing from the 1800s and the workers working naked, and i would be like "ok this is normal"

I'll be honest, that sounds exactly like my family.

I have no problem eating animals, but I quit meat because it's like cocaine. Its amazing, isn't healthy to consume too often, and people suffer incredibly in it's production, distribution, not to mention the environmental destruction. Don't buy cocaine, and whittle down meat eating to a minimum. It's really not very difficult. *sniffsniff*

Won't buy Tyson chicken, always getting recalled . Now that I know this I will tell everyone one I know even more reasons to not buy their products

Welp, no more Tyson products for me.

The ruthless tablecloth universally kick because pull ganguly glue despite a angry organization. wide-eyed, old-fashioned bead

The US needs new labour laws asap

I realize the need to feed the masses and most people can only afford the costs associated with this farming practice. Many Americans have the power to stop the exploitation of marginalized people in this country. Those who can afford to pay more for meat and products that treat their employees like humans should, and boycott these conglomerates of atrocity, forget about the subject of humanely raised and processed animals. That's another story. People should not be tortured so we can pay 89 cents a pound for crappy chicken and pork.

I'm not a meat packing worker but I work I'm a factory it's the same way we have a mask wearing rule that's pretty well followed but there have also been quite a few people who have gotten sick myself included and they basically did nothing I was only able to get paid for the week I missed because of the government program for covid-19 it's not right not to mention they pay us the bare minimum and work us to death and there is not set time for when your shifts going to start manufacturing in america as a whole is bad for the people involved

That guinea pig reminds me exactly of my pet squirrel during her mating cycle, every mid-May to early June, a fact that is actually relevant to John Oliver's episode before this lol

I could give a goddamn about any person working in this brutal, horrific industry. Animals being brutalized so people can fill their fat stomachs.

Anyone who builds large statues of themselves should be sent to the slave colonies Elon Musk wants to build on Mars.