Reed & Whitehouse: Trump's Meatpacking Plan is a Recipe for COVID-19 Disaster That Skimps on Worker Health & Safety

Statement

After President Trump issued an order to keep meatpacking plants open and help plant owners at the expense of workers who are charged with keeping our food supply safe, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are calling on the Trump Administration to modify the order to prioritize worker health and safety and help prevent further outbreaks of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Senators joined 16 of their colleagues in sending a letter demanding that President Trump amend his Executive Order and mandate that meat processing facilities closed down by state or local health authorities, or of their own accord, are permitted to reopen only after they have met all of the health and safety guidelines issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Without immediate, comprehensive intervention by the federal government to ensure the health and safety of workers at these plants, workers in the meat processing industry will remain at extremely high risk of contracting the virus and the plants will continue to be a major vector of significant infection," the 18 Senators wrote. "Failure to take action to protect these workers is not only a threat to their lives, but also to the public health of their communities."

The grueling work of the industry already makes meat processing one of the most hazardous work environments in the country. Its workers are already disproportionately impacted by this pandemic and experience some of the highest occupational injury rates. COVID-19 has made this work even more dangerous. The Senators demanded the Trump Administration do more to protect these workers, the public health of their communities, farmers and livestock producers, and the nation's food supply chain.

"President Trump's order is a recipe for disaster that needs to be rewritten. In siding with meat processing owners at the expense of worker safety, the order could have a negative impact on workers' health and the stability of our food supply chain. We don't need to choose between food production and worker safety, we must invest in both. President Trump should revise this order by establishing common sense rules to protect workers and the food supply," said Senator Reed.

"Workers at meatpacking plants were doing some of the most dangerous jobs in the country even before COVID-19," said Senator Whitehouse. "There is no choice to be made between protecting these essential workers and keeping food processing plants running. We must do both to minimize further disruption to the food supply chain that American families and restaurants rely on."

Among the improvements the Senators want are common sense safety measures to protect workers and inspectors, including sufficient PPE and basic controls that allow for appropriate social distancing, adequate ventilation, physical barriers, and requisite hand sanitizing.

The letter notes: "As a result of insufficient worker protections, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union, more than 6,500 meat industry workers have contracted COVID-19, and at least 20 have died. In addition, more than 100 inspectors with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have tested positive for the virus, and at least two food inspectors with the agency have died from the virus. Without immediate, comprehensive intervention by the federal government to ensure the health and safety of workers at these plants, workers in the meat processing industry will remain at extremely high risk of contracting the virus and the plants will continue to be a major vector of significant infection. Failure to take action to protect these workers is not only a threat to their lives, but also to the public health of their communities."

In addition to Reed and Whitehouse, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Patty Murray (D-WA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

Source