Senator Tammy Baldwin Calls on State Meat Processing Plants to Explain Why More Wasn't Done to Protect Employees
Thursday, May 7th, 2020 -- 9:00 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -With nearly every major meat processing plant in Wisconsin affected by the spread of COVID-19 within its workforce, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is calling on the owners of those companies to explain why more wasn't done to protect their employees.In a letter to JBS USA Holdings, Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods, the Madison Democrat said the 'unwillingness' to implement recommended safety precautions in a timely manner has led to death and the spread of illness that she feels would have been preventable. In just Wisconsin alone, Brown County reported that more than half of the over 900 confirmed cases of coronavirus were linked to food processing plants, with another 85 outbreaks linked to the Patrick Cudahy Smithfield Foods Plant near Milwaukee.
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued voluntary guidance for the meat packing industry detailing steps employers should take to protect their workers. But Baldwin feels those guidelines were not being followed. Meanwhile, Cargill Meat Solutions in Milwaukee is the latest Wisconsin meat plant to announce a temporarily closure because of COVID related illnesses.
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