Coronavirus hot spot in Minnesota connected to a surge of cases at a meatpacking plant, still operating due to the Defense Production Act which President Trump invoked at the end of April.
Smith said Pilgrim's Pride began to undertake the changes on April 12, including providing additional protective equipment, temperature checks of employees and COVID-19 screening questions.
Employees also said they often end up wearing plastic aprons that other workers have worn during their shifts — aprons they sweat in because of the heavy physical exertion required to cut animal carcasses apart along an assembly line. Pablo Tapia of Asamblea de Derechos Civiles holds a sign to protest unsafe working conditions at the main entrance of the Pilgrim's Pride plant in Cold Spring, Minn., on May 11, 2020.The workers also said that the company appeared to have undertaken a campaign to convince employees that they did not get sick at the plant and that it offered extra money for people to come back as quickly as possible.
"Essential workers are not disposable workers," he said."They're not people who risk their lives so we can eat steak. They have as much to live for as anyone else, and they do a tough job in the best of times. The president needs to keep their best interests in mind."
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