Over the last few weeks we have seen the how Covid19, or coronavirus, has had a remarkable effect on packing houses across the country. Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, South Dakota closed their facility after pressure from the city, state, labor and community organizations. Sixty miles down the road in Minnesota, the JBS facility in Worthington soon followed suit. It wouldn’t be long before Jennie-O shut down their poultry operations in Willmar and Melrose.
Pilgrims Pride in Cold Springs, Minnesota is still operating but the workers at the plant are questioning why and are asking for greater transparency from the company. On Monday, April 27, workers at the plant staged a protest.
The StarTribune’s Mike Hughlett reported on the action.
Workers at the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant in Cold Spring held a protest Monday over the company’s lack of transparency surround COVID-19 cases and its policies surrounding the disease.
Mohamed Goni, staff organizer at the Greater Minnesota Worker Center, said he was at the protest and more than 100 workers walked off the job. The protest was over Pilgrim’s Pride’s lack of transparency about the disease’s spread and policies surrounding it.
Read the rest of the story here.
Other media organizations also covered the protest.
St Cloud Times
Workers walk out of Pilgrim’s Pride in Cold Spring over COVID-19 concerns
WJON
Pilgrim’s Pride Workers Hold Walkout Over Coronavirus Fears
The Greater Minnesota Worker Center supports the workers right to advocate for safer working conditions. The workers deserve greater transparency from Pilgrims Pride. Pilgrims Pride also needs to adopt the State of Minnesota COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for the Meatpacking Industry and/or the Interim Guidance from CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Workers are demanding that companies put people over profits.
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