Ethical Issues

I was assigned the job of taking clients to the chicken factory this past week.What an experience! I was a little overwhelmed. All my clients were desperate for jobs but I wondered if this was truly the best job. The chicken factory (my perspective) is a horrible place. It smells! The employees work very long hours with a 30 minute break and they are paid minimum wage. The staff is predominately Hispanic the exception being those who World Relief gets hired on there. The staff is not required to speak English which is a plus and does provide an opportunity for those who are unable to communicate fluently in English. The fact these individuals are paid so little is the issue I have. Most factory jobs pay at least 10$ an hour because factory work is very hard. These individuals are paid minimum wage and are forced to pay 150$ a month in union dues as well as buying there own safety protection in order to work in the factory.  As a social worker, I was happy that these individuals were able to find employment but I felt torn and as if I needed to advocate for better work conditions as well as more fair employment. I understand that these jobs are temporary jobs which families work while trying to move on to something better but what happens when they are unable to move on?

I am reminded once again of how important it is for everyone in the agency to be on the same page and for good communication to exist within the agency. I picked up a client (same as before) who refused to put his son in a car seat. I had to stop the car on three occasions and tell the father I would not drive until the kid was placed in a car seat. He would wait until I would start driving and out the kid would come. It was frustrating. When I returned to the agency I told the caseworker I did not want to transport the family unless the Father clearly understood I would stop the car and they would have to find transportation home if the child came out of the car seat. The caseworker seriously responded I have the same issue with this family but how can I force the child to stay in a car seat or the father to make him ride in it? I calmly stated back that no matter what I would not drive if little tot was not fastened into the car seat. I told him, I have a child and should something go wrong while traveling and something happen I would be responsible and I will not risk my own family nor my future employment over something so silly. As I communicated with Heidi over the happenings of the week, I mentioned the situation. She was very alarmed because a situation in which children are not riding in a car-seat could close the agency down. It is so important for everyone to be on the same page and for communication with the agency be the best to prevent situations such as this.