130: Invisible Labour Behind Chicken Nuggets: The Immigrants Taking on America's Largest Meatpacking Industry with Alice Driver

AnthroDish

We’ve heard stories about how chicken nuggets are riddled with questionable ingredients, but what gets missed when looking at industrial meat production is those who process a nation’s worth of meat and poultry, the immigrants working at Tyson meatpacking companies throughout Arkansas.

My guest today is Alice Driver, who has written a haunting exposé on the toxic labour practices experienced at Tyson, the largest meatpacking company in America. Alice is a J. Anthony Lukas and James Beard Award-winning writer from the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. She is here today to discuss some of the central themes in her new book, Life and Death of the American Worker: The Immigrants Taking on America’s Largest Meatpacking Industry, which is out officially as of today through Simon and Schuster. She is also the author of More or Less Dead, and the translator of Abecedario de Juárez.

In our conversation, Alice details the story of the immigrant workers who had the courage to fight back after decades of deadly chemical accidents, hyper-surveillance, and unsafe working conditions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She unveils how the landscape and politics of Arkansas are marked by the poultry industry, and the exploitation models that went into creating such difficult and hazardous working conditions for those who are often subjected to invisible labour. She recounts how workers fought back in a lawsuit against Tyson Foods despite the potential consequences, and what is needed to truly change meatpacking industry standards.

Learn More From Alice:

• Book: Life and Death of the American Worker
• Website: https://www.alicedriver.com/
• Instagram: @alice_driver