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As Human Rights Watch \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2019\/09\/04\/us-meatpacking-workers-rights-under-threat\u0022\u003Ehas reported\u003C\/a\u003E, it\u2019s a crisis that\u2019s been brewing before the outbreak began.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERecent developments have been unsettling. A \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.smithfieldfoods.com\/press-room\/company-news\/smithfield-foods-to-close-sioux-falls-sd-plant-indefinitely-amid-covid-19\u0022\u003ESmithfield\u003C\/a\u003E pork plant closed indefinitely after it became the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in South Dakota, with nearly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rapidcityjournal.com\/news\/local\/state-and-regional\/cdc-report-on-smithfield-not-yet-released-to-public\/article_329cb746-088f-5b85-baea-01922678efb8.html\u0022\u003E1,000\u003C\/a\u003E confirmed cases, the biggest cluster in the country. JBS has temporarily shuttered a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jbssa.com\/about\/news\/2020\/04-20\/#.Xp7kOchKiMo\u0022\u003Epork plant in Minnesota\u003C\/a\u003E and a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jbssa.com\/about\/news\/2020\/04-13\/#.Xp7j48hKiMo\u0022\u003Ebeef plant in Colorado\u003C\/a\u003E because of the coronavirus crisis. The media reported that two \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tysonfoods.com\/news\/media-resources\/coronavirus\u0022\u003ETyson Foods\u003C\/a\u003E workers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.desmoinesregister.com\/story\/news\/2020\/04\/15\/2-iowa-tyson-foods-employees-confirmed-dead-coronavirus\/5142597002\/\u0022\u003Edied in Iowa\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apnews.com\/16faf7d5bc7a34198df22b64f9825975\u0022\u003Efour in Georgia\u003C\/a\u003E from Covid-19. Tyson plants in Tennessee and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wibw.com\/content\/news\/COVID-19-cluster-confirmed-at-Emporia-Tyson-plant-569787941.html\u0022\u003EKansas\u003C\/a\u003E have dozens of cases each, and a facility in Waterloo, Iowa \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/22\/us\/tyson-waterloo-iowa-plant-employees-coronavirus\/index.html\u0022\u003Esuspended operations\u003C\/a\u003E after local \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/quincy-network.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/Letter-to-Tysons-from-Elected-Officials-in-Black-Hawk-County.pdf\u0022\u003Eauthorities implored\u003C\/a\u003E Tyson to close due to an outbreak there.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThough disturbing, the spread of coronavirus in US meat and poultry plants shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone familiar with the facilities\u2019 conditions: workers kill, cut, debone, and package meat in cramped quarters, working elbow to elbow, coated with grease and blood. They work amidst deafening noise and the smell of dead animals and overpowering chemicals. We documented the dangers of meatpacking work in our 2019 report, \u201c\u2018\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2019\/09\/04\/us-meatpacking-workers-rights-under-threat\u0022\u003EWhen We\u2019re Dead and Buried, Our Bones Will Keep Hurting\u2019: Workers\u2019 Rights Under Threat in US Meat and Poultry Plants\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d and our findings were chilling.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWorkers we spoke to for the report described their exhaustion and chronic pain resulting from making the same, forceful motions tens of thousands of times each day, which often caused severe and debilitating injuries. The harsh conditions and close proximity of workers are petri dishes for a highly communicable disease. It\u2019s no wonder that the spread of the novel coronavirus in meatpacking facilities may be \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/in-depth\/news\/investigations\/2020\/04\/22\/meat-packing-plants-covid-may-force-choice-worker-health-food\/2995232001\/\u0022\u003Eworse than originally thought\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEven before the pandemic hit, Human Rights Watch found the response of companies to medical issues and injuries in their facilities to be disturbingly inadequate. Workers told us they were pressured not to report injuries and feared retaliation if they left the slaughter line to seek medical treatment. In-house medical units encouraged workers to return to the line after cursory care, even when workers felt they needed more substantive help.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EGovernment investigations have also found that these medical units in some facilities failed to make timely and appropriate medical referrals. In one case, a worker suffered a serious injury when her hand was trapped and burned by a machine. The incident occurred on a Friday and she was told to return to work, with her other hand, on Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. if she wanted to get paid.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECompounding the problem is the power imbalances that keep workers from reporting workplace safety hazards. Plant workers depend on these jobs for themselves and their families, and fear losing them. Many of the low-wage workers in meatpacking and processing plants are from marginalized communities, with many people of color and women making up their ranks. Nearly one-third are immigrants, including a significant number who are undocumented. Many of the workers we interviewed requested anonymity because they feared repercussions for their immigration status as well as their employment. A lot of the immigrant workers who do not have social security numbers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2020\/04\/10\/us-focus-relief-effort-those-most-need\u0022\u003Ewill not receive\u003C\/a\u003E coronavirus stimulus checks, even if they have been paying taxes. The decline in the prevalence of unions and collective bargaining agreements in meatpacking facilities also hurts workers\u2019 ability to address these issues.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe challenging conditions for meatpacking workers have been magnified by Covid-19. Workers have described to nongovernmental organizations the crowded working conditions, pressure to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/jbs-meat-packing-plant-in-greeley-colorado-had-work-while-sick-culture-authorities-say\u0022\u003Econtinue working\u003C\/a\u003E through illness, and denial of personal protective equipment. They have reported that companies have been slow to implement \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/2020\/04\/20\/protectpackingworkers\/\u0022\u003Emeasures\u003C\/a\u003E to ensure social distancing in their facilities. Human Rights Watch joined a number of civil society and workers organizations to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/assets.oxfamamerica.org\/media\/documents\/Letter_to_Poultry_industry_Covid_19_response_4.pdf\u0022\u003Ecall\u003C\/a\u003E for improved health and safety conditions in plants during the pandemic, paid sick and family leave for workers caring for themselves or others, premium pay for hazardous work, and protection against retaliation.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMeat processing jobs are some of the country\u2019s most dangerous. Instead of attempting to improve safety for these and other essential frontline workers, the Trump administration has made it easier for meat and poultry plants to operate faster, increasing the danger of injury and other harm. Prior to the pandemic, the administration aggressively promoted deregulation of slaughter inspection systems that impose line speeds in facilities. In September 2019, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2019\/09\/17\/us-new-food-inspection-rule-puts-workers-danger\u0022\u003Ea new rule\u003C\/a\u003E removed caps on line speeds in pork facilities, opening the door for them to operate as quickly as possible, despite increased line speeds \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/report\/2019\/09\/04\/when-were-dead-and-buried-our-bones-will-keep-hurting\/workers-rights-under-threat#_ftn133\u0022\u003Ecorrelating with more worker injuries\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe administration has also issued waivers for line speed restrictions in other meat processing facilities. In April 2020 alone, the administration issued 15\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/wps\/wcm\/connect\/188bf583-45c9-4837-9205-37e0eb1ba243\/waiver_table.pdf?MOD=AJPERES\u0022\u003E waivers\u003C\/a\u003E to poultry facilities, including 6 to Tyson Foods. In March, they issued the first waiver to a beef processing facility, also owned by Tyson.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThese rollbacks of safety rules not only raise the already high risks to meatpacking workers, but also jeopardize the security and stability of our food systems. The impacts of the pandemic on these dangerous workplaces has already shut down approximately \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-04-22\/tyson-foods-to-indefinitely-suspend-waterloo-operations-k9bbgnr9\u0022\u003E25 percent\u003C\/a\u003E of the nation\u2019s pork processing, and slowdowns in other sectors may follow.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut these changes to safety rules do not have to be permanent, and reinstating protections should be a priority of candidates seeking voters\u2019 trust in the 2020 elections. Protecting all workers \u2013 especially those at the front lines who are risking their lives to feed the country\u2013 should be a priority for all branches of government.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERegulations safeguarding the health and safety of our workers can and should be reinstated and strengthened. As voters prepare to go to the polls in November, they should be asking which candidates are the most serious about protecting our frontline essential workers through evidence-based policies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EKomala Ramachandra is a senior researcher in the Business and Human Rights Division of Human Rights Watch.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__375181__en","data":"","settings":null}]