Should someone have to die so others can savor a steak?<\/b>
\nGiven everything else they have to deal with, consumers will be relieved to see their food supplies secured. But what about the meat plant workers who face heading back into factories — where social distancing may be impossible? Employers promise new measures, including protective gear and health screenings, to keep the workers safe. Tyson Foods Inc. is doubling bonuses.
But unions and workers warn it’s not enough and say 20 workers in the industry have already died from the virus. Trump’s order is especially controversial because he previously ordered roundups at plants to capture undocumented migrant workers. Now he’s effectively forcing those same people back to work in conditions that have many fearing for their lives. According to government figures, 30% of meatpacking workers were born abroad. More than a third are Latino, 20% are black and 8% are Asian. This is the low-wage, minority workforce on the front lines as states open up before properly beating Covid-19.
«It’s terrible,» one processing plant worker told CNN’s Omar Jimenez in Wisconsin on Wednesday. «We all have families we have to think about. Of course I’m scared to come back, we’re seeing positives daily.»<\/p>\n