{"id":2170,"date":"2021-01-27T13:22:44","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T19:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/?p=2170"},"modified":"2021-01-27T13:29:47","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T19:29:47","slug":"meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

News release<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For immediate release<\/p>\n\n\n\n

January 27, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Saint Paul, Minn.<\/em> \u2014 Minnesota lawmakers and meatpacking workers from Worthington, St. Cloud, and Austin announced new legislation today to improve safety on the job for the men and women employed by meat packing and food processing plants. The proposal would provide paid leave to all meat and poultry processing workers to recuperate from an illness, injury or to care for an ill family member. The \u201cMinnesota Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers Act\u201d is authored by Rep. Dan Wolgamott of St. Cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen COVID-19 first hit Central Minnesota in the spring of 2020, I heard heartbreaking and horrifying stories from my constituents about the unhealthy working conditions at meat processing plants that were jeopardizing the health and financial well being of their families,\u201d said Rep. Wolgamott. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m introducing the Minnesota Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers Act, which provides comprehensive workplace health and safety protections, and ensures workers have access to the benefits and training needed to work safely during this pandemic and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2007, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Packinghouse Workers Bill of Rights which requires employers to provide meatpacking workers with information about their rights as workers and adequate safety equipment. The Packinghouse Workers Bill of Rights was a positive measure, however, it has not proven adequate to protect the safety and rights of meatpacking workers, before or during the time of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This proposal creates a brand new \u201cWorkers\u2019 Rights Coordinator” position housed within the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) dedicated to enforcement and compliance. This individual would be given the ability to investigate and prosecute violations of workers\u2019 rights with the help of the attorney general, a district attorney, or any city or county attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe represent meatpacking workers in Worthington and across the state in Minnesota. Worker safety is the most important issue. It took a worldwide pandemic to pull back the curtain for the public to really see inside the packing plants and see the dangerous work that takes place in there. The workers have been long forgotten, not really given a second thought by the public until the pandemic struck and the media took notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These essential workers in Worthington, along with all meatpacking and poultry workers throughout the state, risk their health and expose their families to additional risk to be able to put food on the table for Minnesota families. The Minnesota Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers Act would provide comprehensive workplace health and safety protections and ensure workers have access to the benefits and training needed to work safely as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,\u201d said Matthew Utecht, president of UFCW Local 663.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal includes a section dedicated to addressing and preventing COVID-19 outbreaks that have occurred at factories in Minnesota<\/a>. It requires employers to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at no cost to employees; allow meat and poultry processing workers adequate break time to sanitize and wash hands; routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces, workstations, and training rooms; and provide paid leave to all meat and poultry processing workers to recuperate from an illness, injury or to care for an ill family member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery Minnesotan deserves a safe workplace,\u201d said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. \u201cMeat and poultry processing workers are among those on the frontlines of this pandemic, and they have suffered some of the worst COVID outbreaks. We must protect these workers’ right to a safe working environment, now and into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equity-centered worker protections would prohibit employers from discriminating or taking an adverse employment action against a worker, including the threat of reporting a worker’s current or suspected immigrations status. The proposal also requires employers to post all the rights as well as training manuals in the language of fluency for workers every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people who work in Minnesota\u2019s meat packing and food processing plants are largely immigrants and New Americans with little to no economic security,\u201d said Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. \u201cThese are moms and dads who are raising families, want to build a better life, and get ahead. It\u2019s dangerous work and as a state we should be able to come together to protect their health and safety, whether we are in a global pandemic or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Wolgamott will soon announce dates and times for the proposal\u2019s first committee hearings, which will give Minnesotans an opportunity to provide public comments and ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UFCW Local 663<\/a> represents more than 13,200 hard-working retail, meat packing and processing, food preparation and manufacturing, healthcare, and other workers in Minnesota and Iowa. We strive to improve the lives of our members and of all working families by fighting for economic, political, and social justice in our workplaces and communities. UFCW Local 663 is part of the 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact: Jessica Hayssen, 651.261.8559, jessicah@ufcw663.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

News release For immediate release January 27, 2021 State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job Saint Paul, Minn. \u2014 Minnesota lawmakers and meatpacking workers from Worthington, St. Cloud, and Austin announced new legislation today to improve safety on the job for the men and women employed by meat packing … Continue reading State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[59],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nState lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UFCW 663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-27T19:22:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-27T19:29:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Antonio-Jimenez-UFCW-Local-663blog.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"730\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"UFCW Local 663\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"UFCW Local 663\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/\",\"name\":\"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-27T19:22:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-27T19:29:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66b7ca0eecf8ad3f8d807f7b61ec5b46\"},\"description\":\"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"UFCW 663\",\"description\":\"A Voice For Working America\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66b7ca0eecf8ad3f8d807f7b61ec5b46\",\"name\":\"UFCW Local 663\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c04f16fc232710db4ef4933308588a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c04f16fc232710db4ef4933308588a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"UFCW Local 663\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/author\/local653\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663","description":"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663","og_description":"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/","og_site_name":"UFCW 663","article_published_time":"2021-01-27T19:22:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-01-27T19:29:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":730,"height":375,"url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Antonio-Jimenez-UFCW-Local-663blog.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"UFCW Local 663","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"UFCW Local 663","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/","name":"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job - UFCW 663","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-01-27T19:22:44+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-27T19:29:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66b7ca0eecf8ad3f8d807f7b61ec5b46"},"description":"\u201cEveryday myself and my coworkers put our lives on the line when we go to work. I was here at the plant when the COVID-19 outbreak happened. No one ever wants that to happen again. This legislation is about safety, not just about me but for all the meatpacking workers in the state,\u201d said Antonio Jimenez, UFCW Local 663 member who works at JBS in Worthington.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/2021\/01\/27\/meatpacking-workers-announce-new-legislation-to-improve-safety-on-the-job\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"State lawmakers, meatpacking workers announce new legislation to improve safety on the job"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/","name":"UFCW 663","description":"A Voice For Working America","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/66b7ca0eecf8ad3f8d807f7b61ec5b46","name":"UFCW Local 663","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c04f16fc232710db4ef4933308588a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3c04f16fc232710db4ef4933308588a4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"UFCW Local 663"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.ufcw663.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/author\/local653\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2170"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2175,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170\/revisions\/2175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ufcw663.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}